The fortunes of the clothing retailing sector across the countries of Europe are as varied as the clothing trends themselves. Areas of extreme growth, such as Ireland, Poland, Hungary and Portugal, are in stark contrast to countries such as Germany which, despite remaining the largest market in Europe, has appeared to have reached a saturation point. Mintel's analysis illustrates that, despite the ongoing domestic price wars forcing profit margins down and cautious consumers, this is not as bleak a picture as it may first appear - retailers seeking international development would ignore this market at their peril.

The fortunes of the clothing retailing sector across the countries of Europe are as varied as the clothing trends themselves. Areas of extreme growth, such as Ireland, Poland, Hungary and Portugal, are in stark contrast to countries such as Germany which, despite remaining the largest market in Europe, has appeared to have reached a saturation point. Mintel's analysis illustrates that, despite the ongoing domestic price wars forcing profit margins down and cautious consumers, this is not as bleak a picture as it may first appear - retailers seeking international development would ignore this market at their peril.

Poland - a market to emulate?

An ailing economy goes some way to explain the particularly weak performance of the sector in the Czech Republic. Perhaps the situation can be improved by following the Polish model, where a 95.5% growth on 1999's market value resulted from the rapid development of shopping centres and hypermarket-anchored malls. The strong positioning of domestic chains despite foreign competitors has also served to dramatically improve the sector's fortunes.

Spotting potential

Although M&S has battled through its well-documented troubles to retain its position as the

leading European clothes retailer, it is companies such as Calzedonia, Grupo Inditex and Sprider that are causing the most excitement and appear to have the most potential in terms of development internationally.

European consumers

Consumer attitudes and trends across Europe are giving clues to very real openings within this sector. The correlation between income and shopping activity in Italy sheds crucial light on prospects within this market, whilst the regionality of clothing shopping habits in Spain is also graphic. Similarly, what do consumers in the UK look for when choosing a retailer from which to shop, and who in France buys on behalf of children? How fashion-conscious are Spanish men and who is buying the most jeans in Germany?

Improve your understanding

To guide you through this complex sector, Clothing Retailing in Europe carefully investigates the clothing retailing trends of 19 European markets, country by country.

Report content

Each domestic analysis includes a European Overview to place this information in a wider

context whilst also benefiting from a 'Ones to Watch' section that highlights the retailers with the potential to dominate the markets of tomorrow.

Each report studies the major players unique to that country, as well as the strategies, sales trends, products and important developments of the giant pan-European chains operating in these areas. Where available, attitudinal consumer research provides an extra means with which areas of growth can be identified.