Fashion - Size Matters!- UK

Published by: Mintel International Group Ltd.

Published: Nov. 1, 2008 - 97 Pages

Table of Contents

ISSUES IN THE MARKET

Definitions

MARKET IN BRIEF

Plus-size market up by 26% in five years

Larger menswear also expanding

What has been driving growth?

The ‘Gok Wan Effect’

Non-specialists move in

…and specialists suffer

Consumer discontent rising, not falling

Figure 1: Consumer attitudes towards sizing and fit, 2006 and 2008

Britain’s size schizophrenia worsening

Three main typologies

What will happen to the market

Who will do well?

Who will underperform?

Where are the opportunities?

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Key points

Plus size/petite/tall market performance

Retailers’ expectations for the larger sizes/petites/tall market

Retailers that cater best for plus-size or petite/tall

Specialists vs mainstream retailers’ ranges

More demanding customers?

Are plus-size customers more fashionable than before?

The importance of sizing and fit in online shopping

Special requirements of non-standard sizes customers

Development of own-label plus/petites/tall ranges

A standardised sizing system

Range extensions vs separate plus/petite/tall ranges

Are plus-sized models effective in marketing clothing?

Catering for the taller/shorter customers

INTERNAL MARKET ENVIRONMENT

Key points

Clothing sizing: anyone for a Euro-dress?

New system = new confidence?

The ‘Gok Wan’ effect takes away the plus-size guilt

‘Size zero’ rules celebrity coverage

Men start to worry about body image too

Clothing and footwear price deflation

Figure 2: Clothing and footwear spending, current and constant 2003 prices, and price deflation, 2003-08

Range development by mainstream retailers

BROADER MARKET ENVIRONMENT

Key points

Britain is getting bigger

Figure 3: Percentage of adult population, in England with BMI of over 30, by age group, 1996, 2001 and 2006

But we claim to be eating more healthily

Figure 4: Percentage of adult population eating five portions a day or more of fruit and vegetables, men and women, 2001 and 2006

Exercise: On the rise?

Increasing numbers of over-45s

Figure 5: UK population, by age, 2003-13

Disposable income growth tumbles

Figure 6: PDI, at current and constant 2003 prices, 2003-13

Consumer spending slows

Figure 7: Consumer expenditure, at current and constant 2003 prices, 2003-13

Socio-economic changes

Figure 8: UK adult population (over-15), by socio-economic group, 2003-13

MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST

Key points

Plus-size womenswear buoyant

Figure 9: Market size, plus-size womenswear, retail sales (incl. VAT), 2003-08

The petites market

Figure 10: Market size for petite womenswear, 2003-08

Tall womenswear

Figure 11: Market size, tall womenswear, 2003-08

Larger menswear

Figure 12: Market size, large-sized menswear, 2003-08

FORECAST

Figure 13: Forecast of plus-size, petite and tall womenswear and large-sized menswear, at current prices,

2003-08

Figure 14: Forecast of plus-size, petite and tall womenswear at current prices, 2003-13

Plus-size market to grow by a fifth

Figure 15: Forecast of plus, petite and tall sizes womenswear at constant 2008 prices, 2003-13

Petite and tall womenswear set to grow steadily

Large menswear continues to grow dynamically

Figure 16: Forecast of large-sized menswear at current and constant 2008 prices, 2003-13

Factors used in the forecast

MARKET IN CONTEXT

Key points

Plus-size womenswear outperforms

Complementary areas do even better

Figure 17: Retail sales, plus size womenswear, compared with womenswear, all clothing and footwear and total retail sales, at current prices, 2003-08

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES IN THE MARKET

Strengths

Weaknesses

THE CONSUMER - WHERE THEY SHOP

Key points

Marks & Spencer favourite

Figure 18: Where they buy clothes for themselves, August 2008

Two leaders highly female-focused

Figure 19: Where they buy clothes for themselves, by gender, age and socio-economic group, August 2008.

Debenhams could do more for older larger-sizes customers

Figure 20: Where they buy clothes for themselves, by gender, age and socio-economic group, August 2008.

Primark beats Topshop among under-25s

Figure 21: Where they buy clothes for themselves, by gender, age and socio-economic group, August 2008.

Sainsbury’s achieves cross-market appeal

Figure 22: Where they buy clothes for themselves, by gender, age and socio-economic group, August 2008.

RETAIL COMPETITOR ANALYSIS

Key points

Non-specialists

Leading clothing retailers

Figure 23: Leading womenswear retailers, October 2008

Leading non-specialist retailers

Figure 24: Leading non-specialist womenswear retailers, October 2008

Specialists

Figure 25: Specialist plus, tall and petite womenswear retailers and selected mail order operators, October 2008

Menswear

Leading menswear retailers

Figure 26: Leading menswear retailers, October 2008

Non-specialists

Figure 27: Leading non-specialist menswear retailers, October 2008

Specialists

Figure 28: Specialist larger menswear retailers, October 2008

Evaluation

Figure 29: Selected plus and other non-standard size retailers, evaluation, 2008

RETAILER ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

Key points

Specialists cut back

Figure 30: Expenditure on advertising by non-standard size clothing specialists, 2003-07

Direct mail most important

Figure 31: Expenditure on advertising by non-standard size clothing specialists, by media, 2003-07

RETAILER PROFILES

LEADING SPECIALISTS

Elvi

Figure 32: Elvi, turnover, operating profits and margin, 2001-06

Evans

High and Mighty

Figure 33: High and Mighty, turnover, operating profits and margin, 2002-07

Long Tall Sally

Figure 34: Long Tall Sally, turnover, operating profits and margin, 2002-07

N Brown

Figure 35: N Brown group, turnover, operating profits and margin, 2003-08

Yours (formerly Size Up)

Figure 36: Yours, turnover, operating profits and margin, 2002-07

LEADING NON-SPECIALISTS

Arcadia Group

Figure 37: Arcadia, turnover, operating profits and margin, 2002-07

Bhs

Figure 38: Bhs, turnover, operating profits and margin, 2002-07

Debenhams

Figure 39: Debenhams, gross transaction value, turnover, operating profits, pre-tax profits and margin,2002-07

George at Asda

Marks & Spencer

Figure 40: M&S UK, retail sales, by merchandise category, operating profits and margin, 2005-08

New Look

Figure 41: New Look, turnover, pre-tax profits and margin, 2003-08

Peacocks

Figure 42: Peacocks and Bonmarché, turnover, operating profits and margin, 2002-07

Primark

Figure 43: Primark, turnover, operating profits and margin, 2002-07

APPENDIX

Abbreviations

APPENDIX: WHERE THEY BUY CLOTHES FOR THEMSELVES

Figure 44: Where they buy clothes for themselves, by Mintel’s Special Groups, region, ACORN group,technology users, internet usage, daily newspapers and TV received, August 2008

Figure 45: Where they buy clothes for themselves, by Mintel’s Special Groups, region, ACORN group,technology users, internet usage, daily newspapers and TV received, August 2008

Figure 46: Where they buy clothes for themselves, by Mintel’s Special Groups, region, ACORN group,technology users, internet usage, daily newspapers and TV received, August 2008

Figure 47: Where they buy clothes for themselves, by Mintel’s Special Groups, region, ACORN group,technology users, internet usage, daily newspapers and TV received, August 2008

APPENDIX: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Abstract

Issues in the Market

• British women’s relationship with fashion and sizing continues to become steadily more
schizophrenic. As obsession with celebrities and what they wear pushes them towards the size zero ideal (UK size 4), in the real world the average woman’s figure is a size 16 and heading upwards.
• Despite retailers’ attempts to flatter women with more generous sizing, Mintel’s research shows
that they are becoming even more unhappy than they were about size and fit. What is more, with advertising starting to feature ultra-thin male models and ‘manorexia’ on the rise, men could be about to experience the same problems.

This report looks at the following questions:

• How big are the plus-size and other non-standard size fashion markets (petite, tall, larger menswear)?
• What factors lie behind their growth, or could hold them back?
• Who are the main competitors, and what are their prospects?
• How are specialists performing, relative to mainstream clothing retailers?
• What are the most successful strategies in tackling these markets?
• What do consumers feel about sizing and fit?
• What are the future prospects for plus-size, petite and tall markets?

Other reports of relevance include:

• Nightwear - UK, Market Intelligence, September 2008
• Clothing Retailing - UK, Retail Intelligence, September 2008
• Womenswear Retailing - UK, Retail Intelligence, June 2008
• Womenswear - UK, Market Intelligence, March 2008
• Menswear Retailing - UK, Retail Intelligence, October 2007

Definitions

This report aims to look at the non-standard size fashion market, which is defined as:

• Clothing for women in sizes 18 or over;
• Clothing specifically designed as petites or tall ranges and other garments bought by women under 5’3” or over 5’9”;
• Menswear in sizes XL or larger.
Value figures throughout this report are at retail selling prices unless otherwise stated.

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