In a challenging economic environment, the £2.57 billion underwear market has held up reasonably well, although there have been some casualties – notably Intimas.
Although people might be cutting back on their underwear purchasing, just 3m men and 1m women did
not buy new underwear in 2009.
Women account for more than 70% of underwear spend because they buy a greater number of items. women buy underwear for a host of reasons or occasions, whereas men stick largely to replacement buys.
In a challenging economic environment, the £2.57 billion underwear market has held up reasonably well, although there have been some casualties – notably Intimas.
Although people might be cutting back on their underwear purchasing, just 3m men and 1m women did
not buy new underwear in 2009.
Women account for more than 70% of underwear spend because they buy a greater number of items. women buy underwear for a host of reasons or occasions, whereas men stick largely to replacement buys.
Replacement might be the key reason for buying underwear for more than 30m adults but 15m are prompted to buy new underwear by a price offer, such as a sale or a voucher.
More than 10m people buy underwear either on impulse (ie as a treat) or for a special occasion, such as going on holiday.
Own-brand dominates the underwear sector. Almost 20m people bought underwear from M&S compared to 13m from a supermarket and 12m from a value retailer. By contrast, 6m people wear Calvin Klein undies – the leading non-retail brand.
“The childrenswear market is profiting from the shift towards smaller and wealthier families. More women are delaying motherhood until their thirties, when they are financially secure and better positioned to splash out on their new arrivals. Affluent AB parents have an affinity for high quality children’s clothing, encouraging premiumisation within the market. Retailers with higher price points need
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Our research on underwear shows that replacement is the key reason to buy new undies, particularly for men. Could supporting a cancer charity help to drive more frequent purchasing?