New research from Mintel shows that more and more consumers are buying children’s clothing alongside their weekly grocery shopping.
The results show, that for the first time, value sales from supermarkets make up the biggest proportion of spend for consumers, beating all other outlets with 29% share of the childrenswear market.
Meanwhile, specialists in the childrenswear sector such as clothing multiples (26.5%) and department stores (7%) have at best only retained market share by focusing on the premium end of the market.
The supermarket is also the first port of call for childrenswear shoppers, with almost seven in 10 (68%) of consumers purchasing their childrenswear there – making it the nation’s leading childrenswear destination.
Michelle Strutton, senior fashion analyst at Mintel, said: “There is increasing evidence of polarisation in consumer purchasing habits, with value retailers and supermarkets profiting at the expense of variety stores and sports stores in particular, which do not have the unique selling points of low price or high quality.
“Although the impact of the economic slowdown since 2007 has raised the profile of discounters and supermarkets, it has been the wider investment by such stores in improving the quality and fashion elements of their clothing that has enabled them to take on existing players in the market so successfully.”
