UK Underwear Market Report 2022
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Description
The UK Underwear report identifies consumer attitudes towards underwear, nightwear and loungewear in the UK. This market report covers the market size, market forecast, market segmentation and industry trends for the Underwear market in the UK.
Current Market Landscape
The shift towards working from home as a result of ongoing uncertainty around new COVID-19 variants will continue to buoy the nightwear and loungewear categories. The trend for comfort will endure into the future, leading to increased demand for more casual and hybrid styles of clothing that incorporate elements of loungewear.
- Spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear is expected to rise by 6.5% to £4.8 billion in 2022.
- Women account for 72% of consumers spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear.
- According to the Health Survey for England, 64% of all adults were classified as overweight and obese in 2019.
In 2022, consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear will continue to grow, but it will be impacted by the ‘cost of living squeeze’ as people are faced with rises in energy prices and inflationary pressures.
Future Market Trends in Underwear
Growth in the sector will be driven by retailers and brands expanding their collections to include more inclusive products in a wider range of sizes and skin tones, as well as new, more sustainable options. Brands that want to appeal to young Gen Z and Millennial consumers will need to show that they are prioritising inclusivity both in their product ranges and campaigns, as well as being more transparent about sustainability.
In 2022, consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear will be impacted by the ‘cost of living squeeze’ as people are faced with rises in energy prices and inflationary pressures. Furthermore, some spend will be reallocated to other fashion categories as people go out more and revert to buying more occasionwear.
Read on to discover more details or take a look at all of our UK Clothing market research.
Quickly understand
- The impact of COVID-19 on the underwear, nightwear and loungewear market.
- Shifts in types of products purchased and preferred channels and retailers.
- What has driven purchasing over the last year.
- Growing importance of sustainability in the underwear category.
- Rising demand for more inclusive products and advertising campaigns.
Covered in this report
Brands: M&S, Tesco, Lidl, Amazon, Asos, John Lewis, Selfridges, JD Spots, Sports Direct, Calvin Klein, Bravissimo, Ted Baker, Reiss, Victoria’s Secret, Lovehoney, Boux Avenue, Ann Summers, Agent Provocateur, Calzedonia Group, Ridby & Peller.
Expert analysis from a specialist in the field
This report, written by Utku Tansel, a leading analyst in the Retail sector, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends and add expert context to the numbers.
While consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear will be impacted by the ‘cost of living squeeze’ and as people reallocate spend to other fashion categories, it will continue to benefit from demand for comfortable items as the shift towards flexible working endures. Growth in the sector will be driven by retailers and brands expanding their ranges to include more inclusive products in a wider range of sizes and skin tones, as well as new more sustainable options.
Tamara Sender Ceron
Senior Fashion Analyst
Table of Contents
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Overview
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- Key issues covered in this Report
- Economic and other assumptions
- Products covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
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- Market sees recovery following decline caused by COVID-19
- Figure 1: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 underwear, nightwear and loungewear, 2022
- The market
- Sector to see positive growth over next five years
- Figure 2: Market forecast for consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear, 2016-26
- Nightwear booms, while demand for loungewear to tail off
- Figure 3: Breakdown of estimated percentage of consumer spending on underwear, loungewear and nightwear, by gender, 2021
- Companies and brands
- Rising obesity rates further demand for size inclusivity
- M&S adds third-party lingerie brands for the first time
- The consumer
- Underwear purchasing rises
- Figure 4: Fashion items purchased in the last three months, March 2020 – October 2021
- Gen Z and Millennials drive self-purchasing
- Figure 5: Purchasing of underwear, nightwear and loungewear in the last 12 months, 2021
- Trend for sports bras continues
- Figure 6: Types of underwear, nightwear and loungewear women have purchased for themselves in the last 12 months, 2021
- Growing popularity of nightwear driven by Gen Z and Young Millennials
- Figure 7: Types of underwear, nightwear and loungewear men have purchased for themselves in the last 12 months, 2021
- Online shopping remains heightened
- Figure 8: How underwear, nightwear and loungewear was purchased in the last 12 months, November 2021
- Mid-market retailers and supermarkets grow in popularity.
- Figure 9: Type of retailers consumers have purchased nightwear, loungewear and underwear from in the past 12 months, November 2021
- Replacement and change in size main drivers
- Figure 10: New Underwear purchase drivers, 2021
- Rising interest in online bra fitting tools
- Figure 11: Current shopping behaviours and future interest in them, 2021
- Sustainability at the forefront
- Figure 12: Improvements wanted at main retailers shopped at for underwear, nightwear and loungewear, 2021
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Issues and Insights
- Main shifts in purchasing behaviour during 2021
- What are the main opportunities for future growth?
- Stylish ranges in larger sizes
- More inclusive products
- Fully sustainable options
- Development of online fitting tools
- New product innovations
- Main shifts in purchasing behaviour during 2021
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Market Size and Performance
- Market sees recovery following decline caused by COVID-19
- Figure 13: Short-, medium- and long-term impact of COVID-19 on underwear, nightwear and loungewear, 2021
- Market grows 10% in 2021 as demand drives recovery
- Figure 14: Market size for consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear, at current and constant prices, 2016-21
- Market sees recovery following decline caused by COVID-19
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Market Forecast
- Sector to see positive growth over next five years
- Figure 15: Market forecast for consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear, 2016-26
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- Figure 16: Market forecast for consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear, at current and constant prices, 2021-26
- Market drivers and assumptions
- Figure 17: Key drivers affecting Mintel’s market forecast, 2015-26
- Forecast methodology
- Sector to see positive growth over next five years
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Market Segmentation
- Men to grow share of the market
- Figure 18: Estimated consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear, by gender, 2021
- Nightwear booms, while demand for loungewear to tail off
- Figure 19: Breakdown of estimated consumer spending on underwear, loungewear and nightwear, 2016-21
- Men to grow share of the market
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Market Drivers
- Main underwear buyers’ population set to rise
- Figure 20: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2020-30
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- Figure 21: Breakdown of trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2015-25
- Rising obesity rates furthers the demand for size inclusivity
- Figure 22: Overweight and obesity rates in the UK, by gender, 2015-19
- Real wages growth vs inflation
- Figure 23: Real wages growth: wages growth vs inflation, January 2016 – July 2021
- Employment has held up better than expected
- GDP should reach pre-pandemic levels by the end of Q1 2022…
- …but the post-COVID bounceback will be short-term
- Inflationary pressures are mounting
- Consumers’ financial wellbeing has slipped from its recent high point…
- Figure 24: Household financial wellbeing index, 2016-21
- …and concerns over inflation are coming to the fore
- Figure 25: Consumer concerns over cost-of-living changes, 2021
- Main underwear buyers’ population set to rise
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Leading Players
- Non-Specialists
- Retailers broaden their third-party offering
- Supermarkets/value retailers
- Department stores
- Specialists
- Victoria’s Secret enters liquidation
- Boux Avenue losses reduce
- Lovehoney receives award from the Queen
- Figure 26: Leading specialist retailers revenue, 2016-20
- Outlet numbers remain steady
- Ann Summers launch insolvency process to help cut rents
- Figure 27: Leading specialist underwear retailers’ outlet numbers, 2016-20
- Sales per outlet
- Figure 28: Leading specialist underwear retailers’ estimated UK sales per outlet, 2016-20
- Leading underwear brands
- Figure 29: Leading underwear brands total revenues, 2016-20
- Non-Specialists
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Launch Activity and Innovation
- Collaborations
- M&S brings on Sloggi, Triumph and Wonderbra
- Fendi X Skims collaboration
- Uniqlo collaborates with Mame Kurogouchi for second collection
- Menswear underwear start-up JustWears secures funding
- Figure 30: JustWears Collection, October 2021
- ‘Modibodi’ launch colourful underwear collection
- Figure 31: Two new print designs released by Modibodi, November 2021
- M&S “nothing neutral about it” skin tone colour range
- Figure 32: M&S’s “Nothing Neutral About It” underwear campaign, June 2021
- John Lewis starts stocking Oola Lingerie
- Ethical underwear
- New underwear brand Pantee launches upcycled collection
- Boux Avenue brings out lounge lingerie collection made with recycled fibres
- Gender-neutral underwear
- Urbody, a non-binary undergarment company
- Figure 33: Urbody campaign image, May 2021
- Pantys launch its first transgender and non-binary underwear
- Nudea open new London pop-up store alongside new product launches
- Janira launch ‘one size fits all’ range
- Underwear goes digital
- M&S offers Pay With Me service alongside contactless bra fittings
- Collaborations
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Advertising and Marketing Activity
- Retailers increase their advertising spend
- Figure 34: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on underwear and nightwear, 2016-20
- Biggest share of advertising spend increasingly on digital
- Figure 35: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on underwear and nightwear, by media type, 2020
- Shein dramatically increases its advertising spend
- Figure 36: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on underwear and nightwear, by top companies, 2016-20
- Key campaigns
- “Nothing Neutral About It” – M&S’s new neutral lingerie range
- Figure 37: M&S’s “Nothing Neutral About It” underwear campaign, June 2021
- Savage X Fenty features all-black women biker gang in new campaign
- “Don’t Miss Your Pap” voted Drapers Best Marketing Campaign
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
- Retailers increase their advertising spend
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Fashion Purchasing
- Underwear purchasing rises
- Figure 38: Fashion items purchased in the last three months, March 2020 – October June 2019-Oct 2021
- Revived appetite for fashion
- Underwear purchasing rises
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Underwear, Nightwear and Loungewear Purchasing
- Gen Z and Millennials drive self-purchasing
- Figure 39: Purchasing of underwear, nightwear and loungewear in the last 12 months, 2021
- Decline in gift buying
- Figure 40: Purchasing of underwear, nightwear and loungewear in the last 12 months, by gender, 2021
- Almost three in ten 65+ women have not purchased
- Figure 41: Purchasing of underwear, nightwear and loungewear in the last 12 months, by age and gender, 2021
- Gen Z and Millennials drive self-purchasing
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What Women Buy
- Trend for sports bras continues
- Figure 42: Types of underwear, nightwear and loungewear women have purchased for themselves in the last 12 months, 2021
- Young women buy bodysuits
- Nightwear sales grow
- Figure 43: Purchasing of underwear, nightwear and loungewear by women for themselves in the last 12 months, 2021
- Young women drive loungewear purchases
- Figure 44: Purchasing of underwear, nightwear and loungewear by women for themselves in the last 12 months, by generations, 2021
- Trend for sports bras continues
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What Men Buy
- Underwear purchasing remains stable
- Figure 45: Types of underwear, nightwear and loungewear men have purchased for themselves in the last 12 months, 2021
- Growing popularity of nightwear driven by Gen Z and Young Millennials
- Figure 46: Purchasing of underwear, nightwear and loungewear by women for themselves in the last 12 months, 2021
- Gen Z men main loungewear buyers
- Figure 47: Purchasing of underwear, nightwear and loungewear by women for themselves in the last 12 months, 2021
- Underwear purchasing remains stable
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How and Where They Shop
- Online purchases overtake in-store
- Figure 48: How underwear, nightwear and loungewear was purchased in the last 12 months, 2021
- Gen Z and Millennials prefer online shopping
- Figure 49: Percentage of consumers wo have shopped online and in-store in the past 12 months, by age group, 2021
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- Figure 50: Type of retailers consumers have purchased nightwear, loungewear and underwear from in the past 12 months, 2021
- Men more likely to shop online
- Figure 51: Type of retailers consumers have purchased nightwear, loungewear and underwear from in the past 12 months
- Shoppers stick to one retailer
- Figure 52: Repertoire of retailers used to buy underwear, nightwear and loungewear in the past 12 months, 2021
- Online purchases overtake in-store
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New Underwear Purchase Drivers
- Replacement and change in size are key drivers
- Figure 53: New Underwear purchase drivers, 2021
- Women buy new underwear for a holiday or an occasion
- Figure 54: New Underwear purchase drivers, by gender, 2021
- Replacement and change in size are key drivers
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Current and Future Shopping Behaviour
- Underwear increasingly purchased through social media
- Figure 55: Current shopping behaviours and future interest in them, 2021
- Rising interest in bra fittings in-store and online
- Bringing tech to try-ons
- The modern period
- Underwear increasingly purchased through social media
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Improvements Wanted at Retailers Most Shopped at
- Sustainability at the forefront
- Figure 56: Improvements wanted at main retailers shopped at for underwear, nightwear and loungewear, 2021
- Greater emphasis on inclusivity and diversity
- Sustainability at the forefront
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Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
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Appendix: Forecast Methodology
- Market forecast and prediction intervals
- Figure 57: Market forecast for consumer spending on underwear, nightwear and loungewear, 2021-26
- Market drivers and assumptions
- Figure 58: Key drivers affecting Mintel’s market forecast, 2021-26
- Forecast methodology
- Market forecast and prediction intervals
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