ISBN 1-85765-750-0

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Market Definition

MARKET SECTORS

MARKET POSITION

MARKET TRENDS

Table 1: UK Female Population (000), 1992-1996

Market Size

THE TOTAL MARKET

MARKET SECTORS

OVERSEAS TRADE

Table 2: UK Manufacturers' Sales of Women's Underwear (£000), 1995 and 1996

Table 3: UK Manufacturers' Sales of Hosiery (£000), 1995 and 1996

Table 4: Retail Sales of Lingerie (£m), 1992-1996

Table 5: Retail Sales of Lingerie by Sector (£m), 1992-1996

Table 6: Retail Sales of Lingerie by Sector ( percent), 1992-1996

Table 7: UK Imports and Exports of Lingerie and Hosiery by Value (£m), 1992 and 1996

Table 8: UK Exports of Lingerie and Corsetry by Value (£m), 1996

Table 9: UK Imports of Lingerie and Corsetry by Value (£m), 1996

Industry Background

RECENT HISTORY

INDUSTRY CONCENTRATION

DISTRIBUTION

TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

EXHIBITIONS

Table 10: Analysis of UK Fabric Manufacturing Industry by Turnover Sizeband (number of companies), 1996

Table 11: Analysis of UK Fabric Manufacturing Industry by Employment Sizeband (number of companies), 1996

Table 12: Analysis of UK Manufacturing of Ladies' Underwear Industry by Turnover Sizeband (number of companies), 1996

Table 13: Analysis of UK Manufacturing of Ladies' Underwear Industry by Employment Sizeband (number of companies), 1996

Competitor Analysis

THE MARKETPLACE

MARKET LEADERS

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

Table 14: Financial Results of Leading Lingerie Companies (£m and £000), 1994/1997

Table 15: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Lingerie (£000), Years Ending June 1996 and 1997

Table 16: Main Media Advertising Expenditure on Lingerie and Hosiery (£000), Year Ending June 1997

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

HOSIERY

LINGERIE

Buying Behaviour

CONSUMER PENETRATION

Table 17: Analysis of Expenditure on Lingerie and Corsetry in the Last 12 Months by Amount Spent ( percent of women buying), 1997

Table 18: Frequency of Purchase of Tights ( percent of women), 1997

Table 19: Frequency of Purchase of Stockings and Holdups ( percent of women), 1997

Table 20: Frequency of Purchase of Tights by Age ( percent of women buying), 1997

Table 21: Frequency of Purchase of Stockings and Holdups by Age ( percent of women buying), 1997

Outside Suppliers to the Industry

COURTAULDS

THE NOVACETA GROUP

AKZO NOBEL CHEMICALS

Current Issues

CORPORATE ACTIVITY

NEW PRODUCTS

Forecasts

FORECASTS 1997-2001

DISTRIBUTION

CONSUMER BASE

DESIGNER FASHION

Table 22: Forecast Retail Sales of Lingerie (£m and index 1997=100), 1997-2001

Table 23: UK Female Adult Population by Age Group (000), 1996 and Projected for 2001

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

The clothing industry in its entirety has experienced a turbulent period since 1988, with UK businesses struggling to combat both a slowdown in consumer demand and an increase in imports.

Many companies in the lingerie and hosiery industry had entered a trend of particularly poor trading by 1995, which some did not survive. According to the fashion industry, however, and certainly reflected in the 1997 London Fashion Week, there is now a definite move away from the austerity of recent years towards a more opulent phase. To many women, lingerie will forever be a commodity item but, with a proliferation of expensive designer lines being introduced, it would seem that there is also a substantial demand for luxury items. Since 1992, the retail market has grown by 20 percent and by the end of 1996 was worth approaching £1.4bn.

A healthier economy, together with increased optimism and confidence, is encouraging consumer spending at a rate unseen for many years. Indeed, a Consumer Confidence Index survey, prepared by Hamilton Direct Bank in autumn 1997, declared consumer confidence to be sky-high, with retailers looking set to enjoy a bumper Christmas. Since lingerie and hosiery are popular gifts, this bodes well for the industry, particularly in conjunction with a move towards more expensive designer lines.

The strength of the St Michael name within lingerie, most of which is British-made, makes the fortunes of some manufacturers, whose core business is provided by Marks & Spencer, heavily reliant upon the continuing success of the retailing giant. The imminent introduction of the first proprietary brand of underwear into multiples, including Safeway and Tesco, may offer the first real competition in the everyday market. At the same time, Sara Lee is hoping that its Pretty Polly hosiery brand will become the UK's leading lingerie brand, following trends in France.

The slow but sure move away from regarding underwear as purely functional, witnessed in recent years, is a trend which those in the hosiery industry are keen to emulate. In a recent interview in The Grocer magazine, the Managing Director of hosiery brand leader, Pretty Polly, summarised the present position by saying that hosiery is going down the same road lingerie took 5 years ago, becoming a commodity and boring. He says "We've got to bring back the fun... and stop taking ourselves so seriously".

Key Note estimates that retail sales of lingerie will reach nearly £1.8bn by the year 2001.

Text © 1997 Key Note

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