UK Clothing Retailing Market Analysis
The UK Clothing Retail Market has experienced subdued growth in 2024, with consumer spending expected to rise by over 3.5%, reaching nearly £67 billion.
Historically, the Clothing Retailing Market has seen stronger growth, with around 15% increase from 2019 to 2024. However, post-pandemic caution and ongoing inflationary pressures have led to a decline in volume sales, particularly among specialist retailers in the Garment Retailing Market, which have struggled with lower value sales. Online shopping has regained market share, boosted by technological innovations like AI-powered fit tools and a rise in value-driven operators such as Shein. Looking ahead, the forecast suggests a return to more normalized spending, driven by improved economic conditions and heightened consumer interest in sustainability. Long-term growth projections predict nearly 14% increase in consumer spending in the foreseeable future, with tech advances continuing to reshape the shopping experience, both online and in physical stores, in the Clothing Apparel Retailing Market.
UK Clothing Retailing Market Trends
Consumer trends in the UK Clothing Retailing Market are increasingly driven by value consciousness and sustainability, with many shoppers prioritizing affordability, durability, and versatility in their clothing choices. Younger generations, particularly Gen Z and Millennials, continue to dominate purchases, but there is also a notable rise in clothing buying among older women aged 45+, who seek well-fitting, stylish, and practical options. Thriftiness has become a key focus, with many consumers combining new clothing with existing items and engaging in second-hand sales. Additionally, the use of technology, including AI for personalized recommendations and visual search, is growing, particularly among younger shoppers who value convenience and efficiency. Despite a decline in both in-store and online shopping volumes in 2024, the desire for more personalized, tech-enhanced shopping experiences is evident, with consumers also showing increased interest in extending the life of their clothing in the Clothing Retailing Market.
Purchasing the UK Clothing Retailing Market Report 2024 reveals that younger consumers favor sustainable fashion and personalized experiences, while older shoppers prioritize fit, style, and quality. The report also highlights a growing trend of thriftiness, with many opting for second-hand clothing. Retailers are adapting by enhancing both in-store and online experiences to meet these diverse needs within the Clothing Apparel Retailing Market.
About The Report
The UK Clothing Retailing Market Report 2024 provides comprehensive insights into the evolving landscape of the UK Clothing Retailing Market, focusing on consumer trends, purchasing behavior, and market dynamics. The report covers key areas such as the impact of economic conditions, consumer preferences across different demographics, the rise of online shopping, and technological innovations like AI in retail. It also explores the growing demand for sustainable fashion, the increasing interest in second-hand clothing, and the diversification of product offerings by retailers. The research is based on extensive consumer surveys and market data, making it invaluable for fashion retailers, marketers, investors, and policymakers looking to understand market trends, identify opportunities, and make informed decisions within the Garment Retailing Market and the broader Clothing Apparel Retailing Market.
Key Topics Analyzed in the Report
- The short-, medium- and long-term impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the clothing market, including changing levels of purchasing.
- The performance of the leading specialists and non-specialist players in the market as the market becomes more competitive.
- Main purchase drivers when buying clothing and the growing focus on combining affordability with buying quality and durable pieces.
- The need to elevate both the in-store and online shopping experience to drive sales and what retailers are doing to improve the customer journey.
- Consumer interest in the latest technology developments such as AI and how retailers are responding.
| Report Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Published Date | December 2024 |
| Data Range | 2019-2029 |
| Measurement Metrics | Revenue in £ |
| Country Focus | United Kingdom (UK) |
| Consumer Data | 2,000 internet users aged 16+, July 2024 |
| Number of Pages | 108 |
| Market Segmentation | Outerwear, Underwear, Nightwear, Footwear, Costume Jewelry, Other Fashion Accessories, Precious Metal Jewelry, Watches, Jeans, Trousers, Shirts, Skirts, Dresses, Jumpsuits, Tops, Sweaters, Jackets, Coats, Sportswear, and Other Types of Outerwear. |
| Leading Companies | Next, Primark, Marks & Spencer, Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, H&M, Matalan, Zara, ASOS, Uniqlo, Boohoo, Shein, JD Sports, and Timberland. |
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Tamara Sender Ceron. Tamara has over 12 years of expertise in analysing changing consumer behaviour, industry trends and key innovations in fashion retail. She regularly presents to clients and talks to the media to help them understand the latest developments in the fashion market. She has a background in business journalism and a BA (Hons) in French and Spanish.
In a weaker clothing market, retailers need to do more to differentiate themselves by elevating the shopping experience. Innovation is key to keeping up with more savvy and informed shoppers, and AI can hold the key.
Tamara Sender Ceron
Associate Director, Fashion Retail
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the clothing market
- Elevating the store experience and creating more flexible spaces
- Tapping into the growth potential from older shoppers
- Capitalising on tech developments
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size & forecast
- Market predictions
- Consumer spending on clothing slows, rising by only 3.7% in 2024 to £66.9 billion
- Clothing retail sales squeezed by volume declines
- Online sales grow 3.6% in 2024
- Graph 1: online sales of clothing and accessories, 2020-24
- Spending remains cautious despite inflation falling
- Graph 2: overall CPIH and garment inflation rate, 2023-24
- Next holds largest share of the clothing market
- Graph 3: leading specialists’ estimated market share on clothing, 2023
- What consumers want and why
- Women still drive purchasing, but cut back
- Graph 4: how consumers have bought clothes for themselves in the last 12 months, by gender, 2024
- Online purchasing of clothes drops back
- Graph 5: how consumers have bought clothes for themselves in the last 12 months, 2022-24
- Primark is one of the few retailers to grow customers
- Graph 6: where consumers have bought clothes in-store/online for themselves in the last 12 months, 2023 and 2024
- Consumers become thriftier as moderation remains en vogue
- Graph 7: current and future shopping behaviours, 2024
- Consumers look for clothes that fit well, but affordability remains key
- Graph 8: most important factors when buying clothing, 2024
- Half of shoppers keen to learn how to extend the lifetime of their clothes
- Graph 9: UK; interest in future innovations, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- Retailers add more inclusive ranges
- M&S adds Claudia Winkleman as an ambassador
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Market Dynamics
- Market size
- Consumer spending on clothing growth slows to 3.7%
- Graph 10: consumer spending on clothing and accessories, 2020-24
- Drop in volume growth
- Market forecast
- Consumer spending on clothing to rise 14% by 2029
- Value retailers main beneficiaries of the last income squeeze
- Graph 11: consumer spending on clothing and accessories, 2009-14
- Market segmentation
- Womenswear continues to dominate, but sees less growth
- Graph 12: % of consumer spending on womenswear and menswear, 2019-24
- Sector size
- Specialist clothing retailers hit by weaker growth
- Clothing retail sales squeezed by volume declines
- Clothing sales through specialists
- Graph 13: estimated sales of clothing and accessories through specialists, 2020-24
- Online
- Online sales grow 3.6% in 2024
- Graph 14: online sales of clothing and accessories, 2020-24
- Online accounts for 46% of total clothing sales
- Graph 15: online as a % of spending on all clothing and accessories, 2019-24
- Retailers revamp their digital platforms
- Market drivers
- Spending remains cautious despite inflation falling
- Graph 16: overall CPIH and garment inflation rate, 2023-24
- Clothing purchases remain popular, but consumers prioritise saving
- Graph 17: recent and planned spending activity, 2024
- Clothing struggled in 2024, but has returned to growth
- Graph 18: all store-based clothing retail sales (excluding fuel), non-seasonally adjusted year-on-year performance by value and volume, 2023-24
- Perceptions of the cost of living crisis
- Graph 19: perception of the state of the cost of living crisis in the UK, 2024
- British society is increasingly diverse
- Graph 20: ethnicity of population, by age, 2021
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What Consumers Want and Why
- What they buy
- Decline in all fashion purchases in the last quarter
- Graph 21: Mintel fashion tracker, fashion purchases in the last quarter, 2023-24
- Women buy less outerwear in the last quarter
- Graph 22: Mintel fashion tracker, outerwear purchases in the last quarter, by gender and age, 2023-24
- All clothing categories see dip in purchasing
- Graph 23: Mintel fashion tracker, outerwear purchases in the last quarter, 2023-24
- Who buys clothing
- Women still drive purchasing, but cut back
- Graph 24: how consumers have bought clothes for themselves in the last 12 months, by gender, 2024
- Young men are the main buyers, while young women buy less
- Graph 25: clothes purchasing, by age and gender, 2023 and 2024
- Gen Zs and Younger Millennials most active buyers
- Graph 26: how consumers have bought clothes for themselves in the last 12 months, by generation, 2024
- Capturing the spend of women aged 45+
- Highest earners are the main buyers
- Graph 27: how consumers have bought clothes for themselves in the last 12 months, by household income, 2024
- How they shop
- Online purchasing of clothes drops back
- Graph 28: how consumers have bought clothes for themselves in the last 12 months, 2022-24
- People shop online less via laptops/desktops
- Graph 29: how consumers have bought clothes for themselves in the last 12 months, 2022-24
- Women aged 25+ still like shopping in-store, unlike younger women
- Graph 30: how consumers have bought clothes for themselves in the last 12 months, by gender, 2022-24
- Driving store footfall
- Using smart speakers to shop
- Where they shop
- Primark remains the favourite in-store retailer
- Graph 31: where consumers have bought clothes in-store for themselves in the last 12 months, 2024
- Amazon retains spot as favourite place to shop online for clothes
- Graph 32: where consumers have bought clothes online for themselves in the last 12 months, 2024
- Primark is one of the few retailers to grow customers
- Graph 33: where consumers have bought clothes in-store/online for themselves in the last 12 months, 2023 and 2024
- Primark adds low priced services that complement the brand
- M&S can tap into partnerships to drive sales
- M&S high brand affinity with stationery and beauty brands
- H&M suffers big drop in Gen Z customers
- Shein and Temu aggressively drive clothes sales
- Emerging players show demand for low prices and resale
- Graph 34: selected clothing and associated retailers, growth in customer numbers in the cohort, 2023-24
- JD Sports grows young shoppers
- Supermarkets broaden their fashion offer amid slower clothing sales
- Grocers add more premium fashion ranges
- Shopping behaviours
- Consumers become thriftier as moderation remains en vogue
- Graph 35: current and future shopping behaviours, 2024
- Women have shifted towards savvier clothes shopping
- Booming resale market
- Mainstream retailers ramping up competition for the peer-to-peer marketplaces in the second-hand sector
- Graph 36: retailers used for shopping online for second-hand fashion items, 2024
- Driving sales among young people through special occasions
- John Lewis helps you find your perfect party dress
- Driving interest among Gen Zs with unique items
- H&M partners with Charli XCX and stages surprise concert
- Promoting non-transactional perks of loyalty schemes
- Graph 37: joined a clothing retailer’s loyalty scheme, 2024
- Appealing to Gen X with third party brands
- Graph 38: bought third party brands through a retailer , 2024
- Womeswear brand Sosandar extends into homeware
- Most important factors
- Consumers look for clothes that fit well, but affordability remains key
- Graph 39: most important factors when buying clothing, 2024
- Retailers widen their price architecture
- Promoting high quality as value for money
- Targeting older women with fit, style and versatility
- Graph 40: most important factors when buying clothing, by age and gender, 2024
- Uniqlo focuses on versatile wearable clothes
- Expanding into more fit options
- Men place more importance on the brand and durability than women
- Graph 41: most important factors when buying clothing, 2024
- Threat posed by growing interest in fashion dupes
- Interest in future innovations
- Half of shoppers keen to learn how to extend the lifetime of their clothes
- Graph 42: UK; interest in future innovations, 2024
- Helping shoppers make their clothes last longer
- Transparency will help shoppers make better purchasing decisions
- Refocusing on the in-store experience is key to driving sales
- Graph 43: interest in shopping innovations, by generations, 2024
- Retailers focus on seamless multichannel experience
- Elevating the store experience to create community spaces
- More flexible and social stores
- Using in-store technology to drive interest from hybrid workers
- Zara adds automated click and collect
- AI has the potential to help improve the online shopping experience
- Graph 44: interest in using AI when shopping online, 2024
- Using AI to improve the online experience
- Using AI to help with sizing
- Opportunities to increase focus on social commerce
- Graph 45: interest in shopping directly from social media, by social media usage, 2024
- SilkFred provides weekly fashion tips on TikTok and Instagram
- Growing potential to explore live shopping
- Zara live streaming sees peak in customers and transactions
- Graph 46: Zara number of customers and number of transactions at Snoop cohort, 2023-24
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Retailer Activity
- Leading specialists
- Specialist revenues see softer demand for fashion
- M&S continues to benefit from strong collaborations
- Retailers navigate cautious spending from consumers
- Moss Bros sees highest CAGR
- Graph 47: leading specialist retailers’ compound annual growth in revenues, 2020-24
- Outlet numbers for 2023
- Mango continues to expand its presence in the UK
- Technology comes to the fitting rooms
- Primark has highest sales per outlet
- Leading non-specialists
- Sportswear retailers dominate non-specialists
- Pureplayers navigate a competitive market
- Market shares
- Next holds largest share of the clothing market
- Launch activity and innovation
- Retailers add more inclusive ranges
- Collaborations driving demand among young women
- H&M creates a store that combines social and digital elements
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Ad spend on clothing falls in 2023
- Graph 48: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on clothing and accessories, 2020-24
- M&S continues to dominate ad spend in 2023
- M&S adds Claudia Winkleman as an ambassador
- Levi’s taps into the latest hit from Beyoncé as demand for denim grows
- Damart empowers target audience
- Softer year seen in 2023 across all advertising media
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Appendix
- Supplementary data
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Market forecast: consumer spending on clothing and accessories
- Market size: retail sales through specialist clothing retailers
- Market forecast: retail sales through specialist clothing retailers
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Snoop SpendMapper methodology
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
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