Apparel, Clothing and Footwear

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

Accessories sales in the Netherlands are witnessing a surge in interest among consumers, especially for fashion accessories like scarves, hats, and gloves. These items are increasingly viewed as style complements, expected to demonstrate robust…

The ongoing cost-of-living crisis in the UK is having a discernible impact on discretionary spending for various apparel accessories. Local consumers, facing economic uncertainties and inflationary pressures, are exhibiting more cautious purchasing…

The sales forecast for apparel and footwear in 2023 projects positive, albeit tempered, growth compared to the previous year. A prevailing sense of lower consumer confidence is impacting demand, leading to a more prudent approach to spending among…

The cost-of-living crisis in the UK has cast a shadow over discretionary spending, significantly impacting the purchase of apparel and footwear. As inflation rises and essential expenses such as housing, utilities, and groceries become more…

Anticipated healthy growth in childrenswear across its three subcategories in 2023 is being propelled by sustained demand for quality products and an escalating interest in fashion and design. The extended use of social media platforms is…

Following the pandemic-related baby boom, birth rates in the UK are now declining, but demand for childrenswear continues to grow. However, a stronger performance in value growth terms is being driven by unit price increases. Childrenswear faces…

Footwear in 2023 continues to grapple with inflation, leading to rising unit prices and overall retail costs. The trend of inflated prices has affected sales growth, mirroring the impact observed in apparel. Intensified competition between physical…

In times of lower discretionary spending, consumers are exhibiting a discerning focus on value and quality when making footwear purchases. The economic landscape significantly influences buying behaviour, prompting individuals to prioritise products…

Sales of hosiery are anticipated to surge, particularly in non-sheer varieties, as Dutch consumers increasingly invest in both luxurious and eco-conscious products. While there's a continued interest in premium items, shoppers are also seeking…

Amid the prevailing cost-of-living crisis in the UK, consumers are strategically reassessing their spending habits, which continues to be evident in hosiery. As disposable incomes face constraints, local consumers are prioritising value and seeking…

Anticipated sales in 2023 will reflect a more tempered growth in premium and super-premium jeans as consumers adopt a cautious spending approach. While economy-level jeans are projected to show positive growth, standard jeans remain the most…

Polarisation is reshaping jeans in the UK, with a discernible impact on product prices and consumer preferences. The category is experiencing a notable divergence, witnessing stronger growth in both the economy and super premium segments, while…

In the Netherlands, the demand for casualwear is driven not only by the pursuit of comfort but also by the influence of street and urban culture trends. Younger Dutch consumers are embracing streetwear styles in both clothing and footwear, prompting…

Menswear in the UK is experiencing the repercussions of lower levels of discretionary spending among consumers in the wake of the cost-of-living crisis. As economic pressures, inflation, and rising living costs take their toll, individuals are…

Sportswear is rapidly gaining traction within Dutch apparel and footwear, constituting less than a quarter of total value sales in 2023. This upsurge is predominantly driven by the growing popularity of sports activities and the prevalent preference…

Sportswear in the UK is maintaining its trajectory of robust growth, attesting to the enduring appeal of athletic-inspired fashion and the evolution of consumer preferences. 2023 has witnessed a continuation of key trends that have been shaping…

Sales of women’s apparel are expected to maintain a stable, positive growth trajectory in 2023. Although growth may slightly lag behind the previous year, factors such as inflation, price increases, favourable weather, and a return to workplaces are…

In 2023, womenswear in the UK is grappling with the multifaceted challenges posed by inflation and a cost-of-living crisis, significantly impacting discretionary spending patterns. As inflation rates rise, the overall cost of goods and services…

Given the economic uncertainty at the end of the review period, Austrian consumers purchased fewer apparel accessories. While the boom in fashion face masks (“other” apparel accessories) ensured a positive retail volume growth performance overall in…

A post-COVID-19 return to business travel and events such as christenings and weddings benefited apparel accessories in 2023, with a notable increase in volume sales of ties. Belts, too, are benefiting from a return to office work and socialising and…

After two challenging years due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the recovery of apparel and footwear started in earnest in 2022, but retail volume sales did not return to the 2019 level. On the other hand, high inflationary pressure on…

Inflation and the cost of living crisis affected the performance of apparel and footwear in Greece in 2023, with price increases resulting in substantial current value growth across all categories. Volume sales increased, too, post-COVID-19; however,…

Purchasers of childrenswear focused on quality and less at quantity as they became more mindful of personal finances and textile waste. Still high inflation in 2023 translated into retail current value growth, despite the decline in retail volume…

Within apparel and footwear, childrenswear was the least affected by COVID-19 and lockdowns, so the high growth recovery rates seen in apparel for adults are not as evident in childrenswear in 2023. Widespread and ongoing economic uncertainty is…

Footwear has been under particular stress with the shift from traditional leather shoes to other materials and sports shoes for many years. In particularly, children’s footwear has been under pressure, and it is projected to see the biggest decline…

Discounting activities have been gathering pace in footwear as players deploy this strategy to clear out accumulated stock gathered during the pandemic, and to mitigate declines in volume sales as a result of inflationary pressures which are…

Hosiery slowed down in Austria in 2023 in comparison with 2022, as the cost of living crisis instilled caution over spending among consumers. Additionally, consumers purchased more hosiery in 2022, after two years of reduced demand due to the…

Extremely high inflation levels, resulting in price increases across most consumer goods, have directly impacted household purchasing power and led to changes in consumer behaviour. Within hosiery, consumers have become more price-sensitive,…

Men’s jeans and women’s jeans are projected to see retail volume sales decline across price segments over 2023. In Austria, the purchase of new jeans was not a priority at the end of the review period, with many consumers already owing one or more…

The lifting of pandemic restrictions has boosted sales of Jeans in Greece in 2023, while unusually low temperatures in May and June prolonged the jeans-wearing season (usually, sales begin to decline in mid-spring, when local consumers switch to…

As in womenswear, retail volume sales of menswear are projected to decline over 2023, as the category stabilised following rebounds, especially in 2022, from the Coronavirus (COVID-19)-induced slump in 2020. Moreover, economic uncertainty amid high…

The impact of hikes in production and transport costs is leading to price increases across menswear in Greece, which was visible in mid-2022 and continues to influence category performance in 2023. Amid the cost of living crisis, which is taking its…

Sportswear in Austria is starting to show signs of saturation after an excellent recovery from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Many consumers purchased sportswear/athleisure for comfort and ease during long periods at home in the wake of…

Although inflation is beginning to ease in 2023, average unit prices remain high, and local consumers have been forced to reduce spending on non-essential items, including apparel and footwear. Many consumers are trading down to cheaper brands of…

Retail volume sales of womenswear are projected to fall over 2023. This is partly due to stabilisation following two years of rebound, especially in 2022, from the slump recorded during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020. However, demand has…

A mild winter in 2023 led to only modest volume growth for product areas such as jackets and coats and jumpers. However, temperatures were unusually low in late spring, with the summer season starting later than usual. This impacted sales of summer…

Similar to most apparel categories, apparel accessories registered weaker volume sales in 2023 after growth in 2021 and 2022. Likewise, current value sales remained buoyant due to inflation and rising unit prices. Apparel accessories are purchased…

Being viewed as non-essential products, apparel accessories was challenged due to inflation rates in 2023. Portuguese consumers suffered from declining purchasing power, adapting their purchasing choices to focus on essential items. The recovery from…

Retail volume sales of apparel accessories fell significantly for the second consecutive year in 2023. This was mainly due the declining performance of other apparel accessories, following the relaxation of all remaining regulations regarding the…

Apparel accessories has seen a weaker performance in 2023, following strong growth in 2021 and a stable development in 2022 (excluding Other Apparel, which plummeted due to face masks no longer being needed).

Many local consumers prefer to make frequent small purchases, such as apparel accessories, in order to stylise their look without having to spend on larger, more expensive items of apparel, or at least delay their purchase. This behaviour is…

Apparel and footwear in Norway is expected to see a decline in retail volume terms and a modest current value sales increase in 2023, boosted by inflation and rising unit prices. The notably lower growth in 2023 follows two years of growth, which saw…

The outbreak of COVID-19, followed by the war in Ukraine, has led to high inflation rates in Portugal throughout 2023. Despite apparel and footwear products only witnessing moderate price increases, energy and packaged food saw high rises, impacting…

Retail sales of apparel and footwear in Spain registered a slowdown in growth in both volume and constant value terms in 2023, with the high cost of living being the key factor behind this trend. With many households exposed to rising interest rates,…

Apparel and footwear in Sweden is expected to display weaker current retail value and volume growth in 2023. Retail volume will post an overall decline, while retail value is set to remain positive, albeit lower than levels experienced in 2021 and…

Economic instability and high inflation continued to restrain retail volume sales of apparel and footwear in Turkey at the end of the review period. The Turkish economy is taking longer to recover than many the economies of some other countries. This…

Childrenswear has seen volume sales decline in 2023, while inflation and rising unit prices have boosted current value sales, similar to the overall trend in apparel. While childrenswear did not experience the same fluctuations as other apparel…

After the decline registered in 2020 due to COVID-19 and successive lockdowns, childrenswear registered noticeable growth in 2021. Nevertheless, in 2022 and 2023, retail volume slowed down, lower than levels seen in men and womenswear, as parents…

Retail sales of childrenswear in Spain registered relatively modest growth in constant value terms in 2023, with the high cost of living being the key factor behind this trend. With many households exposed to rising interest rates, given the high…