ISBN 1-85765-638-5

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Market Definition

MARKET SECTORS

MARKET POSITION

MARKET TRENDS

Table 1: The UK Wedding Market by Value (£m at rsp), 1991-1996

Table 2: The UK Wedding Market by Value ( percent), 1991-1996

Table 3: Number of UK Marriages (000), 1991-1996

Table 4: Seasonality of Marriages in England and Wales ( percent), 1972-1993

Market Size

THE TOTAL MARKET

THE BRIDE

THE GROOM

THE ATTENDANTS

EXPORTS AND IMPORTS

Table 5: The UK Bridalwear Market by Value (£m at rsp), 1991-1996

Table 6: The UK Bridalwear Market by Value ( percent), 1991-1996

Table 7: The UK Market for Bridal Outfits by Volume (000), 1991-1996

Table 8: The UK Market for Bridal Outfits by Value (£m at rsp), 1991-1996

Table 9: Purchase of Wedding Dresses by Volume ( percent), 1991-1996

Table 10: The UK Market for Bridegrooms' Apparel by Value (£m at rsp), 1991-1996

Table 11: The UK Market for Wedding Attendants' Apparel by Value (£m at rsp), 1991-1996

Industry Background

RECENT HISTORY

INDUSTRY FRAGMENTATION

DISTRIBUTION

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

Competitor Analysis

THE MARKETPLACE

MARKET LEADERS AND THEIR BRANDS

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

Table 12: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Bridalwear (£000), Years to September 1995 and 1996

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Buying Behaviour

MARITAL STATUS AT TIME OF MARRIAGE

AGE AT FIRST MARRIAGE

COST OF WEDDINGS BY REGION

MARRIAGE RATES

Table 13: Existing Marital Status of Persons Getting Married in England and Wales ( percent), 1993

Table 14: Average Age of Men and Women at First Marriage, 1946-1996

Table 15: Cost of Weddings by Region (£ and percent), 1996

Table 16: Marriage Rates Per Capita ( percent), 1991-1996

Outside Suppliers to the Industry

TEXTILES

FIBRES

Current Issues

DEMAND FOR WEDDINGS

VENUES

'WEDDINGS IN PARADISE'

NEW IN 1996

NATIONAL WEDDING INFORMATION SERVICE

Forecasts

FUTURE PROSPECTS

FORECASTS 1997 TO 2000

Table 17: Forecast UK Bridalwear Market by Value (£m at rsp), 1997-2000

Company Profiles

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Sources

ASSOCIATIONS

PERIODICALS

DIRECTORIES

GENERAL SOURCES

HBI UK INFORMATION SOURCES

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

OTHER SOURCES

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In 1996, the value of the UK wedding market increased by 7.9 percent to exceed £3.33bn. This was accompanied by a 1 percent increase in the number of UK weddings, including those taken abroad, to 358,200.

There are nearly as many bridal outfits purchased in the UK as there are weddings. In 1996, there were 357,100 bridal outfits purchased at an average price of £722, 6 percent higher than the 1995 average of £680. Wedding dresses account for most of the expenditure on bridal outfits, with an average price of between £500 to £600.

Most wedding dresses are white or ivory, although there is a trend towards colour, which is partly a reflection of higher levels of remarriage and longer periods of living together before marriage.

The bridalwear industry suffers from oversupply, with a structure which is both highly competitive and fragmented. Against a market which is stagnant but erratic, this has meant that most suppliers have sought ways to cut costs in order to maintain profitability during the 1990s. Formal Group PLC has put Pronuptia retail outlets into administration, as they are no longer thought to be a going concern, while many of the top designers have introduced ready-to-wear ranges.

Although the industry is highly fragmented, it is dominated by two major suppliers, Bridal Fashions Ltd and Formal Group PLC. The Formal Group produces 80 percent of Pronuptia's designs. With 18 of 60 Pronuptia outlets going into administration, it is unclear how Formal Group's share and role in the industry will change.

Despite a difficult market for the bridalwear industry, in recent years, there is some optimism as recent films, weddings abroad and a slight change in moral attitudes suggest that the new generation is taking a keener interest in marriage and its ceremony than in recent years. Nevertheless, social change is slow, and even with the development of one-stop wedding shops, there is unlikely to be a dramatic increase in the bridalwear market over the next few years.

Key Note forecasts that the market for bridalwear will grow by 22.9 percent between 1997 and the year 2000, to a value of £585.5m.

Text © 1996 Key Note

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