clothing, footwear, accessories

After suffering sales declines throughout the recession, the men’s clothing market is rebounding and is expected to grow in 2012 reaching $57.4 billion. Many factors impact the market for men’s clothing including the male population in the U.S., and particularly the growth in Hispanic men, levels ...

Reflecting a trend that has been seen in a variety of categories, sales of foot care products declined sharply in 2009, as millions of Americans sought ways to reduce discretionary spending and increase savings for a “worst case scenario” plan. While sales fell again in 2010 and 2011, ...

Mintel's Special Report Series are unique research findings that shed essential light on British attitudes, hopes, fears and desires.

By providing a comprehensive picture of the UK consumer, Mintel's special reports generally make newsworthy material for the national press, television and radio. ...

“Less than one in ten (8%) men struggle to find clothing which is both fashionable and flatters their figure, compared with almost three in ten (28%) women. There has been a strong focus within the fashion market on the importance for women to dressing in a way that suits their body shape. There ...

“As mobile devices become the key connecting point for cross-channel they will have a major impact on how companies communicate with their customers and how they foster loyalty, but they could become the perfect conduit for delivering more potent messages about the advantages of ‘click and collect’

“Fashion retailers are capitalising on the phenomenal popularity and influence of social networks and sites such as Facebook and Twitter have become prime advertising platforms. With users sharing their opinions, experiences and interests via social networks, this channel also provides valuable ...

“Over four in ten (44%) women think that wearing nice underwear has the power to make them feel good. Underwear brands and retailers can tap into this strong emotional connection between putting on attractive and well-fitting underwear and feelings of positivity to stimulate higher levels of ...

“The childrenswear market is profiting from the shift towards smaller and wealthier families. More women are delaying motherhood until their thirties, when they are financially secure and better positioned to splash out on their new arrivals. Affluent AB parents have an affinity for high quality ...

This report looks at clothing retailing in Europe. As in previous years, the focus of the European clothing report is the clothing specialists, because these are the dominant players in the sector. Nevertheless, for each country in this report we provide total consumer spending data for ...

The women’s sleepwear market decreased by nearly 9% in 2011 as the market suffered from the many women who tend to hold on to their existing sleepwear for many years and only purchase when replenishment is absolutely necessary and when sleepwear items are on sale. Furthermore, coming out of ...

Due to the staggering levels of overweight and obese Americans, there is a significant amount of the population requiring sizes larger than what is typically considered standard. As a result, there is strong demand for plus size clothing. However, it is still considered a niche market in the U.S. ...

Hosiery and shapewear are viewed differently by women. Hosiery has been around for decades and has formerly been considered a staple of women’s attire. However, as society has become more casual and fashion trends have changed, hosiery usage has declined and suffers from a perception that, not ...

More than 70% of adults aged 18 or older in the U.S. (171.1 million in 2011) wear eyeglasses or contact lenses. Revenue from eyewear, eye care products, and related accessories was an estimated $23.2 billion in 2011. However, sales growth has been relatively flat since 2006 due to poor economic ...

At the crossroads of sports, fashion and popular culture, the fitness apparel market boasts some of the best-established brands in the world. This report explores how the macroeconomic landscape, national fitness activity and demographic changes are shaping the market. It hones in on the recent ...

While the impact of the recession on total children’s clothing sales in the U.S. has caused the market to contract somewhat, children’s clothing as a category has proven to be relatively recession resistant. Though experiencing slight declines from 2007-09, the market rebounded in 2010 and ...

The children’s shoe market is driven largely by replacement purchasing, yet the sluggish economy is having a definite impact on how often parents purchase children’s footwear, the brands they choose, and how much they spend. For retailers and suppliers it is crucial that they utilize the ...

While the economy has had an impact on luxury sales, it is also apparent that many consumers still have an affinity for luxury goods and thus are seeking them out in large numbers. It is also clear that consumer definitions of “luxury” are changing and now encompass the superpremium goods, such as ...

Marriage trends in the U.S. are shifting, resulting in a lower percentage of the population opting for marriage and longer waits to first marriage among those who do. However, a look back over the past decade shows gains in the destination wedding market, and in this report Mintel provides a ...

The European mixed goods market has faced significant challenges throughout the recession in the major Western European markets:

• Low consumer confidence as well as increasing competition from specialist operators has impacted on performance.
• ...

“There are signs that the fashion-oriented under-25s - who have underpinned the performance of the clothing and footwear market - are now beginning to rein in their discretionary spend. The challenge for retailers is to stimulate spending from this demographic by adding extra value to customers, ...