June 2014
Featured in this insight: Consumer goods & FMCG , Retail
UK menswear market grows 18 per cent between 2008 and 2013: The UK menswear market has grown 18% over the last five years to bring the sector's 2013 value up to £12.9billion, with an estimated 91% of all British men purchasing clothes last year alone.
The recent figures show that menswear has done better than women’s wear last year too, with male clothing incurring a 4.8% incline compared to women’s 4.6%.
Age-wise, 25-34 year old males lead the way with as many as 94% buying clothing in 2013 – more than any other age group.
When it comes to fashion, 25-34 and 16-24 year olds hold similar values with around one fifth (22%) admitting they keep an eye out for the latest trend.
Interestingly, over a quarter (26%) of British men aged 25-34 said they were driven by fashion when choosing clothing, compared to just 17% of women in the same age bracket. Men (19%) were also found to be twice as likely to buy branded clothes as women (8%).
Mintel’s quarterly Fashion Tracker showed that, in the first three months of 2014, men were more likely than women to spend more on clothes than they did before - 14% of men and 11% of women agreed with this.
The research also highlighted that 60% of men have bought clothes online in the last 12 months, with under-55’s taking a preference to the digital approach. When looking for menswear, up to 66% browse online compared to the two fifths (42%) that wander the high street. One fifth (20%) admitted they couldn’t resist a spot of online shopping during their lunch break at work.
The top five priorities for those who shop in-store are:
- Value for money (74%)
- Product quality (58%)
- Availability of size (46%)
- Special offers/sales (35%)
- Wide selection of brands (20%)
The top five priorities for those who shop online are:
- Delivery cost (56%)
- Speed of delivery (44%)
- Special offer (41%)
- Online customer services (25%)
- Returns policy (25%)
And, finally, a geographical breakdown of the results showed that London really is the fashion capital of the UK. While, on average, 14% of males thought the latest fashion was important when buying clothes in-store, in London this figure rose to 27% compared to just 5% of those living in Yorkshire/Humberside.
In addition, 28% of men living in the capital say they prefer to buy branded clothes against the one fifth (19%) who agreed nation-wide. 23% of London men said they keep an eye out for the latest trends – 10% more than the average figure.
View more of our sector specific insights: Consumer goods & FMCG, Retail
