KN18052

KEY NOTE LINGERIE : October 2002

CLICK TO BUY

This report covers: lingerie, womens underwear, knickers, vests, camisoles, negligees, dressing gowns, pyjamas, bodies, teddies, petticoats, thongs, briefs, hosiery, tights, stockings, corsetry, brassieres, bras, girdles, corsets, suspenders, slips, bathrobes, advertising, promotions, buying behaviour, purchase of tights, pants, bras, stockings and holdups, slips, teddies and camisoles, amount spent, frequency of tights purchase, frequency of stockings purchase,

Companies covered include: Marks and Spencer, Martin International Holdings , Playtex Ltd, Sherwood Group , Warners (UK), William Hollins & Company , Fermark, Martin International Holdings, Playtex, Precis, Sherwood Group, Unity Brands, Warners, William Hollins & Company, Agent Provocateur, Bhs, La Perla, Acordis UK, Coats, JBB Textile Machinery, Sara Lee Courtaulds,

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Key Note estimates the total UK retail sales of women's hosiery, corsetry and lingerie to be £1.77bn in 2001. This represents a 6.9 percent rise since 2000.

The market is made up of the hosiery, corsetry and lingerie sectors. Retail sales for hosiery and lingerie stood at £624m and £552m respectively, in 2001. Brassières alone account for 33.4 percent of the market, with retail sales of £589m in 2001.

The UK clothing industry benefited from a sustained High Street boom during 2001 and in the first quarter of 2002. The lingerie market has been no exception. High levels of personal borrowing, based on low interest rates, have boosted consumer confidence, allowing the retail market to expand notably. This resulted in an increase in demand for lingerie between 2001 and 2002. During this period of growth the major retail players have maintained their dominance. However, they are increasingly coming under pressure from the UK's supermarket giants — Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's and Safeway — all of which are now present in the clothing and lingerie market.

The sale of brassières alone has outstripped the growth of other lingerie items, mainly due to the trend amongst younger women to combine brassières with sheer outer garments. This reflects the lingerie market's development into a mainstream, open industry that echoes UK women's modern independence. However, the fiercely competitive nature of the fashion industry and the fickle nature of consumer trends could potentially pose a threat to future growth in the lingerie market.

The development of new fabrics and the use of new materials in lingerie will provide an opportunity for companies to diversify their product range further. The market will also benefit from the growth of boutique shops, which have a more flexible and responsive approach to consumer trends.

However, although retail sales have risen, manufacturing sales have decreased significantly. Sales of the lingerie and corsetry sectors to non-EU countries have fallen by 14.4 percent, and sales to EU countries have dropped 10.6 percent between 2000 and 2001. Imports of lingerie and corsetry have risen by 5.4 percent overall, and by 8.3 percent from non-EU countries. This partly reflects the globalisation of the industry, but also the pattern of UK manufacturing companies transferring operations to overseas locations, in an attempt to reduce operational costs. Although UK manufacturers' sales are likely to continue to decrease, the market as a whole will remain buoyant, with retail sales of lingerie, corsetry and hosiery driving this trend. Consumers' willingness to embrace higher ticket prices in return for designer labels will be a major factor underpinning market growth

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Text © 2002 Key Note

Can't find what you need? Try our "Research on Request" market report service and define your own report research! Fixed prices - £150, £450 and £1,250 - and fixed delivery of 4, 5 and 14 days

Click here for full details

---

Ariadne - working together with our customers to enhance productivity and increase knowledge
© 2004 www.the-list.co.uk Ariadne
Last updated by Amanda Porteous February 2004