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Executive Summary

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The value of the UK wedding market was estimated at £3.62bn in 1998, representing a 1.7 percent increase on the previous year. This report considers the outfits and accessories worn by the bride, the bridegroom and the attendants. In 1998, these sectors (excluding going-away outfits, lingerie and cosmetics) were worth £485.1m (equating to 13.4 percent of the total market), an increase of 6 percent over the previous year.
Industry fortunes have been erratic during the 1990s, and it is somewhat surprising that any growth has been achieved as the number of marriages continues to decline significantly. Between 1992 and 1997, the number of marriages in the UK fell by over 16 percent. Furthermore, the number of weddings that are first marriages for both partners (the area where expenditure is generally at its highest) is at an all time low.
Nevertheless, value growth continues to outstrip that of volume. The average amount spent on a traditional wedding gown is, in 1999, between £800 and £900 and has more than doubled since 1989. The choice of wedding outfit is virtually limitless, ranging from the traditional white dress with veil to the most contemporary of designs in all colours and patterns. A change in the law has approved premises other than the church or registry office for marriage ceremonies. This has also changed people's perceptions of suitable wedding attire.
The UK bridalwear industry is fiercely competitive and highly fragmented, with only a handful of large manufacturers and retailers, and a myriad of small, independently-owned bridal shops and specialist designers. Competitiveness has forced some designers to move further away from couture and more into ready-made, but, as with any design-led industry, there are always manufacturers poised to make their own versions of designer goods.
Although it is unlikely that marriage rates will reach the levels seen in the past (due to the acceptance of cohabitation, the UK's ageing population and the increase in the number of single-person households), the immediate future looks bright, as many couples will be planning Millennium weddings. Key Note estimates that the value of the bridalwear market will reach £504.6m in 1999, and £530m in the year 2000, when the number of marriages might be expected to remain static, if not increase. Further into the future, it is predicted that the disparity between value and volume will increase, with the market worth an estimated £592m in 2003.

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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), 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998

Table 2: The Number of UK Marriages (000), 1994-1998

Table 3: The UK Wedding Market by Value ( percent), 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998

Table 4: The Seasonality of Marriages in the UK (000), 1997/1998

Market Size

THE TOTAL MARKET

BY MARKET SECTOR

FOREIGN TRADE

Table 5: The UK Bridalwear Market by Value (£m at rsp), 1994-1998

Table 6: The UK Market for Bridal Outfits by Value (£m at rsp), 1994-1998

Table 7: The UK Market for Grooms' Outfits by Value (£m at rsp), 1994-1998

Table 8: The UK Market for Wedding Attendants' Outfits by Value (£m at rsp), 1994-1998

Industry Background

RECENT HISTORY

INDUSTRY CONCENTRATION

DISTRIBUTION

EXHIBITIONS

PUBLICATIONS

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

Competitor Analysis

THE MARKETPLACE

MARKET LEADERS

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

Table 9: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Bridalwear (£000), Years to June 1998 and June 1999

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Buying Behaviour

MARITAL STATUS AT THE TIME OF MARRIAGE

AGE AT FIRST MARRIAGE

GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS

Table 10: The Number of Wedding Partners by Previous Marital Status, 1986 and 1996

Table 11: The Average Cost of Weddings by Region (£ and index national average=100), 1999

Outside Suppliers to the Industry

INTRODUCTION

THE CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SUPPLY CHAIN

Current Issues

CORPORATE NEWS

NEW VENTURES

LEGISLATION

Forecasts

NUMBER OF WEDDINGS

FASHION

FORECAST 1999 TO 2003

Table 12: UK Population by Age Group (000 and percent), 1996-2006

Table 13: The Forecast UK Bridalwear Market by Value (£m at rsp), 1999 to 2003

Company Profiles

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Sources

ASSOCIATIONS

PERIODICALS

DIRECTORIES

GENERAL SOURCES

HOPPENSTEDT BONNIER INFORMATION SOURCES

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

OTHER SOURCES

Text © 1999 Key Note

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Last updated by Jacob van Eldik 19th January 2000