I think that buying stocks is a great way for me to make some terrific returns on my cash over the long term. With this is mind, I think these could be three of the best UK shares I could buy for the next decade.
Lucky Cement
Lucky Cement (LSE: LKCS) is a UK share I’d buy to increase my exposure to fast-growing emerging markets. You see, the business is one of the biggest producers of the essential building material in Pakistan. It therefore stands to benefit from the steady population shift from the country to towns and cities.
Indeed, Pakistan has the fastest urbanisation growth rate, and the United Nations thinks 60% of its people will live in metropolitan areas by 2050. That compares with just over a third in 2010.
Profits at Lucky Cement are in danger of slipping sharply during economic downturns. But as a long-term investor I still think this penny stock is an attractive buy right now. Profits here rocketed 43% in the final six months of 2021 as conditions in Pakistan’s construction market continued to improve following Covid-19.
Spire Healthcare Group
The worsening NHS waiting list crisis also encourages me to invest in Spire Healthcare Group (LSE: SPI) today.
The number of people seeking free healthcare treatment in the UK currently sits at record highs above 6m. And the British Medical Association suggests that “it will take years to clear the backlog”, adding that “the ongoing need for stringent infection prevention control measures and workforce shortages mean it will take even longer to work through as demand continues to rise”.
I am concerned that spiking Covid-19-related costs remain a threat for Spire as the pandemic rolls on. However, the prospect of soaring patient numbers in the years ahead means the business remains a top buy. Spire saw a whopping 870,000 patients in 2021.
Big Yellow Group
I also reckon Big Yellow Group (LSE: BYG) could prove a wise investment for me as demand for self-storage space intensifies. This is a market which has been expanding considerably in Britain in recent years. But there is still plenty of room left for growth compared to more mature markets like the US.
Property stocks like Big Yellow are highly cyclical and storage demand can sink if economic conditions worsen. Over the long term, however, I think the market in which the business operates remains highly appealing from an investing standpoint.
The housing market still looks pretty bulletproof, for example, a big driver of self-storage use. The growth of e-commerce is boosting the space needs of retailers as well. And a growing culture of hoarding means people are hanging onto their stuff instead of throwing things away. I’m pleased that Big Yellow is expanding rapidly to fully maximise this opportunity too (it currently has more than a dozen sites in its development pipeline).
