Table of Contents
Introduction
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- Definitions
- Abbreviations
Executive Summary
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- The market
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- Figure 1: Forecast sales of underwear, at current prices, 2006-16
- Market factors
- Ageing population poses a challenge
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- Figure 2: Trends and projections in the age structure of the UK adult population, 2006-16
- Upward mobility will boost the underwear market
- The obesity epidemic fuels demand for bigger underwear
- Demand for maternity underwear mirrors birth trends
- The consumer
- Women are the primary purchasers
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- Figure 3: Consumers who have purchased any underwear in the last 12 months, by gender, age, socio-economic group and presence of children, December 2011
- M&S dominates the underwear market
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- Figure 4: Outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, by gender, December 2011
- Asda is marginally more popular than Tesco
- Value retailers and La Senza are most popular among youths
- Next leads the mid-market
- Women’s briefs come top
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- Figure 5: Underwear items bought or received by women in the last 12 months, December 2011
- The appeal of thongs is limited to youths
- Youths are attracted to enhancing and multiway bras
- 35-44s prefer both co-ordinated sets and shapewear
- Men opt for baggy boxers
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- Figure 6: Underwear items bought or received by men in the last 12 months, December 2011
- Vests vs thermals
- Replacement drives purchasing
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- Figure 7: Reasons that have prompted underwear purchase, by gender, December 2011
- Youths want attractive underwear
- New mums require new lingerie
- ABs fuel pre-holiday and special event underwear sales
- Comfort is vital
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- Figure 8: Attitudes towards underwear, by gender, December 2011
- Women enjoy the feelgood factor
- Over-45s are creatures of habit
- Gifting has potential for growth
- What we think
Issues in the Market
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- How can retailers drive non-replacement purchasing?
- What categories are fuelling growth within the underwear market?
- What opportunities are there for multichannel retailing?
- What role does fashion play within the underwear market?
- How can retailers encourage gift purchasing?
- What does 2012 have in store for the underwear market?
Future Opportunities
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- Trend: Make It Mine
- Trend: Premiumization and Indulgence
Internal Market Environment
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- Key points
- Downturn in women’s lingerie purchasing
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- Figure 9: Trends in men buying men’s underwear and women buying women's underwear in the last 12 months, 2007-11
- Men’s underwear buying lags behind women’s
- Gift purchasing is in decline
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- Figure 10: Trends in women buying men's underwear, 2007-11
- Figure 11: Trends in men buying women's underwear, 2007-11
- Women are buying less
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- Figure 12: Trends in amount spent on women's underwear, 2007-11
- Figure 13: Trends in amount spent on men's socks and underwear, 2007-11
- Demand for larger bras as Britons get bigger
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- Figure 14: Trends in obesity, by gender, 2007-11
- Low body confidence among women
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- Figure 15: Body-related insecurities, April 2011
- Sporting activities present opportunities
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- Figure 16: Regular participation in individual sports, by gender, 2011
Broader Market Environment
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- Key points
- Shifting age structure
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- Figure 17: Trends and projections in the age structure of the UK adult population, 2006-16
- ABs present an opportunity for premiumisation
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- Figure 18: Forecast growth of the UK population, by socio-economic group, 2006-11 and 2011-16
- Annual birth rates have jumped since 2006
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- Figure 19: Total number of births in the UK, 2006-16
- The end of price deflation
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- Figure 20: Inflation in clothing and footwear, January 2008-December 2011
- A glimmer of optimism as consumer confidence climbs by 4 percentage points
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- Figure 21: Trends in consumer confidence, January 2008-January 2012
Strengths and Weaknesses in the Market
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- Strengths
- Weaknesses
Who’s Innovating?
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- Key points
- Advancements in shapewear
- Ethical underwear
- Celebrity lines
- New launches
- Mad Men mania
- Multichannel advancements
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- Figure 22: Figleaves.com iPad app
- Marketing initiatives
Competitive Context
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- Key points
- Underwear market underperforms
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- Figure 23: UK retail value sales of underwear, at constant and current prices, 2006-11
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Market continues to grow in 2011, albeit at a slow rate
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- Figure 24: UK retail value sales of underwear, at constant and current prices, 2006-16
- Women dominate the market
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- Figure 25: UK retail value sales of underwear, at constant prices, by gender, 2006-16
- The future
- The underwear market is set to grow by 9%
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- Figure 26: Best- and worst-case forecasts of UK retail value sales of underwear, 2006-16
- Factors used in the forecast
Segment Performance
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- Key points
- Women’s underwear
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- Figure 27: UK retail value sales of women’s underwear, by type, 2006-11
- Men’s underwear
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- Figure 28: UK retail value sales of men’s underwear, by type, 2006-11
Retail Competitor Analysis
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- Key points
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- Figure 29: Turnover of key underwear brands, 2009-11
- Uplift in turnover in 2010
- La Senza falls victim to the recession
- Retail shares
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- Figure 30: UK retail value sales of underwear, % share, by outlet type, 2009-11
Companies and Products
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- Specialists
- Bravissimo
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- Figure 31: Bravissimo Ltd product range, December 2011
- Figure 32: Key financials for Bravissimo Limited, 2009 and 2010
- CUK Clothing Limited (formerly Courtaulds (UK) Limited)
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- Figure 33: CUK Clothing Limited product range, December 2011
- Figure 34: Key financials for CUK Clothing Limited, 2010 and 2011
- DB Apparel
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- Figure 35: DB Apparel UK product range, December 2011
- Figure 36: Key financials for DB Apparel UK Limited, 2010 and 2011
- Eveden
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- Figure 37: Eveden Group Limited product range, December 2011
- Figure 38: Key financials for Eveden Group Limited, 2009 and 2010
- La Senza
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- Figure 39: La Senza UK product range, December 2011
- Figure 40: La Senza Limited (UK) annual results, 2009 and 2010
- Linwood Fabrics
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- Figure 41: Linwood Fabric Limited product range, December 2011
- MJM International
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- Figure 42: MJM International product range, December 2011
- Figure 43: Key financials for MJM International Limited, 2009 and 2010
- Triumph International
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- Figure 44: Triumph International product range, December 2011
- Figure 45: Key financials for Triumph International Limited, 2009 and 2010
- Figleaves
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- Figure 46: Figleaves UK product range, December 2011
- Figure 47: Key financials for Figleaves Global Trading Limited, 2010 and 2011
- Generalists
- Marks & Spencer
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- Figure 48: Marks & Spencer product range, December 2011
- Figure 49: Key financials for M&S Plc, 2010 and 2011
Brand Communication and Promotion
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- Key points
- Adspend recovers in 2010
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- Figure 50: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on underwear and lingerie, stockings and tights, 2006-11
- Promotional peaks in May and October
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- Figure 51: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on underwear and lingerie, stockings and tights, percentage share, by month, January-October 2011
- M&S is the leader in adspend in 2011
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- Figure 52: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on underwear, by company, 2010 and 2011
- Press advertising holds supremacy
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- Figure 53: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on underwear and lingerie, stockings and tights, by media type, 2006-11
- Figure 54: Adspend, by media type, percentage of total, 2006-11
The Consumer – Who Buys Underwear?
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- Key points
- Women drive underwear sales
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- Figure 55: Consumers who have purchased any underwear in the last 12 months, by gender, age, socio-economic group and presence of children, December 2011
The Consumer – Where Underwear is Bought
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- Key points
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- Figure 56: Outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, by gender, December 2011
- M&S dominates the lingerie market
- Asda is the supermarket heavyweight
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- Figure 57: Outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months – Asda and Tesco, by gender, age, socio-economic group and presence of children, December 2011
- Primark leads the value retailers
- Next is popular among under-35s
- Debenhams draws an older crowd
- La Senza attracts young women looking for sexy styles
- Decline in consumers shopping at all stores
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- Figure 58: Outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, December 2010 and December 2011
The Consumer – What Underwear is Bought by Women
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- Key points
- Women’s briefs drive volume sales
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- Figure 59: Underwear items bought or received by women in the last 12 months, December 2011
- The appeal of thongs is limited to youths
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- Figure 60: Consumers who have bought hipsters/shorties, thongs and other pants in the last 12 months, by age, socio-economic group and presence of children, December 2011
- Enhancing bras mostly bought by teens
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- Figure 61: Consumers who have bought co-ordinated bra and knickers sets, seamless/T-shirt bras, enhancing bras and strapless/multiway bras in the last 12 months, by age, socio-economic group and presence of children, December 2011
- Functional bras
- Maternity bras
- ABC1 mums like to co-ordinate
- Shapewear has a defined demographic following
- ABs are biggest buyers of vests, camisoles and thermals
The Consumer – What Underwear is Bought by Men
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- Key points
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- Figure 62: Underwear items bought or received by men in the last 12 months, December 2011
- Loose boxers are favoured by men
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- Figure 63: Consumers who have bought baggy boxer shorts, tight-fitting trunks/boxer shorts, briefs and Y-fronts, by age, socio-economic group and presence of children, December 2011
- 35-54s favour a tight fit
- Older shoppers buy briefs and Y-fronts
- Vests and thermals
- Niche interest in thongs
The Consumer – Reasons for Buying Underwear
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- Key points
- Replacement drives purchasing
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- Figure 64: Reasons that have prompted underwear purchase, by gender, December 2011
- Young women are the biggest bargain hunters
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- Figure 65: Consumers who have been motivated to buy underwear because there was a promotion/sale, because of an eye-catching colour/pattern/design or to cheer themselves up/as a treat, by gender, age, socio-economic group and presence of children, December 2011
- Under-25 females care about the aesthetics
- New mums require new lingerie
- ABs fuel pre-holiday and special event underwear sales
- Gifting has more potential
- New relationships/dates
The Consumer – Attitudes Towards Underwear
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- Key points
- Comfort is all-important
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- Figure 66: Attitudes towards underwear, by gender, December 2011
- Women enjoy the feelgood factor
- Over-45s are creatures of habit
- Plain underwear is more popular than sexy styles
- Young prefer bra and brief sets
- Gifting has potential for growth
- The appeal of designer underwear is limited
Appendix – Internal Market Environment
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- Figure 67: Trends in amount spent on men's socks and underwear, 2007-11
- Figure 68: Amount spent on men's socks, by demographics, 2011
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- Figure 69: Amount spent on men's underwear, by demographics, 2011
- Figure 70: Amount spent on women's underwear, by demographics, 2011
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- Figure 71: Men buying women's underwear, by demographics, 2011
- Figure 72: Women buying men's underwear, by demographics, 2011
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Appendix – The Consumer – Where Underwear is Bought
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- Figure 73: Most popular outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, by demographics, December 2011
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- Figure 74: Next most popular outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, by demographics, December 2011
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- Figure 75: Outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, by most popular underwear bought or received by women in the last 12 months, December 2011
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- Figure 76: Outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, by next most popular underwear bought or received by women in the last 12 months, December 2011
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- Figure 77: Underwear bought, or received, by women in the last 12 months, by most popular outlets from where underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, December 2011
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- Figure 78: Underwear bought, or received, by women in the last 12 months, by next most popular outlets from where underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, December 2011
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- Figure 79: Underwear bought or received by men in the last 12 months, by outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, December 2011
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- Figure 80: Outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, by underwear bought or received by men in the last 12 months, December 2011
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- Figure 81: Reasons that have prompted underwear purchase, by most popular outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, December 2011
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- Figure 82: Reasons that have prompted underwear purchase, by next most popular outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, December 2011
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Appendix – The Consumer – What Underwear is Bought by Women
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- Figure 83: Most popular underwear bought or received by women in the last 12 months, by demographics, December 2011
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- Figure 84: Next most popular underwear bought or received by women in the last 12 months, by demographics, December 2011
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Appendix – The Consumer – What Underwear is Bought by Men
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- Figure 85: Underwear bought or received by men in the last 12 months, by demographics, December 2011
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Appendix – The Consumer – Reasons For Buying Underwear
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- Figure 86: Reasons that have prompted underwear purchase, by demographics, December 2011
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Appendix – The Consumer - Attitudes Towards Underwear
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- Figure 87: Most popular attitudes towards underwear, by demographics, December 2011
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- Figure 88: Next most popular attitudes towards underwear, by demographics, December 2011
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- Figure 89: Attitudes towards underwear, by most popular outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, December 2011
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- Figure 90: Attitudes towards underwear, by next most popular outlets from which underwear was bought for self or someone else in the last 12 months, December 2011
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