UK Childrenswear Market Will Continue to Benefit

In this Market Report, the UK childrenswear market is defined as clothing for children under the age of 15 years. The main sectors of the market are infant clothing, girls' clothing and boys' clothing. In 2005, Key Note estimated the value of the childrenswear market was PS6.3bn, having risen by 13.1% since 2001. This increase was lower than overall spending rises on clothing, as well as total household spending.
Price deflation has been prevalent in the UK clothing market as a whole, with prices falling by an average of 7.9 percentage points since 2002 and in the childrenswear market this has been even more pronounced. The main factor driving price deflation has been the success of supermarkets and value retailers. The major multiples have been keen to extend their non-food sales, and childrenswear has been an important area for groups such as ASDA and Tesco. Value retailers, led by Primark, have also brought down price points for childrenswear. This, in turn, has led to price cutting across a group of retailers in order to maintain a more competitive position.
Girlswear accounts for the largest share of sales in the market although the female under-15 population is smaller than the male. More clothing is purchased for girls and they often have a much more extensive wardrobe than their male counterparts. In addition, the market is more fashion led, such as replica purses,replica watches,replica handbags,replica louis vuitton handbags etc,which can boost spending. Boyswear has seen increased branding in recent years, but sportswear continues to play a major role. In the babywear market, the rise in the UK birth rate has boosted spending, but again, price deflation has depressed sales rises.
The UK retail childrenswear market is product and brand led, with retailer own label and exclusive lines dominating overall sales. This position has been reinforced by the success of the supermarkets and value retailers who tend to focus on non branded items. This has further encouraged a focus on price. However, some areas of the market have managed to maintain differentials; for example, fashion and designer brands, and character-licensed clothing.
Children's clothing is purchased by around three in ten consumers. Even those without children tend to participate in the market, buying products as gifts, for example. As children get older they are increasingly likely to self purchase items rather than allocate this role to adults.
The childrenswear market will continue to benefit from trends led by high per capita spending on children. This has been driven by factors such as later parenting ages and smaller family sizes. A focus on lower prices is not indefinitely sustainable as profit margins will eventually be affected. As a result, price points at the bottom end of the childrenswear market will begin to rise in the medium term and this will boost sales values.

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