Jeans - Consumer Attitudes to Buying and Wearing - UK - November 2010
Report description
This report looks at consumer attitudes towards buying and wearing jeans (excluding denim skirts and shorts). Mintel estimates a market size for 2010, based on TGI data of consumer purchasing and average amount spent, but due to lack of consensus among the trade, trend data and forecasts are not provided.
* The proportion of adults buying jeans has remained relatively stable over 2006 and 2010, with over half of adults (51%) acquiring a pair in 2010.
* The majority of consumers spend under £50 on a pair of jeans, with almost seven in ten adults (68%) buying jeans at the cheaper end of the price scale.
* Jeans have become so acceptable that they are worn for a whole host of sociable occasions, with over three quarters of adults wearing jeans to go for a drink or meal at a pub and nearly seven in ten (68%) to eat out at a casual restaurant or to visit friends.
* Young people aged under 25 are most likely to buy jeans from Primark (28%) or fashion stores such as Zara, Oasis, River Island and Ted Baker (27%). A similar proportion of this age group shop at New Look, Topshop and Topman.
* More than four in ten men (44%) would be willing to spend more on jeans that are hard wearing, particularly those aged 25-34. At the same time men are twice as likely as women to buy Levi’s branded jeans and those aged 25-34 also prefer other specialist jeans retailers such as Diesel and Superdry. These consumers are most likely to spend more on jeans that are hard wearing and to spend over £100 if they find a great fitting pair of jeans.
* Women are more than twice as likely as men (64% vs. 29%) to find it difficult to find jeans that fit them properly. This is particularly the case for under-35s and could be because they are looking for more tightly-fitting styles.
* To address the issue of fit, Levi’s has created a new sizing system for jeans that measures bottom size. Curve ID are women’s jeans that come in the same waist size with three different bottom variants: Slight Curve is the smallest, Demi Curve is medium-sized and Bold Curve is the largest.
Table of contents
Key themes
Definition
Abbreviations
Market in Brief
Jeans purchases remain stable
Most spend under £50 on jeans
People wearing jeans more often
Levi’s enduringly popular, Wrangler next in line
Adspend on jeans falls
Britons own nearly four pairs of jeans
Next most popular for jeans
Older shoppers opt for supermarkets
Under-25s buy from Primark
Under-25s buy from fashion stores
Men twice as likely to buy Levi’s
Sociable jeans
Jeans for work
Wear and tear
Older people won’t spend a lot, but young will spend over £100
Women struggle to find jeans to fit
Internal Market Environment
Key points
People wearing jeans more often
Figure 1: Adults who usually wear jeans, by age and socio-economic group, 2010
Figure 2: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements, 2006-10
Bargain hunting trend
Women more influenced by fashion
Older people opt for comfort over style
Men like designer clothes
Women always trying to lose weight
People becoming bigger
Figure 3: Percentage of overweight and obese adults, in England, by BMI, 2003-08
Figure 4: Children’s overweight and obesity prevalence, 2003-08
Impact of deflation
Figure 5: Implied price deflator, clothing, quarter on quarter percentage change, Q1 2005-Q3 2010
Ban on jeans sandblasting
Broader Market Environment
Key points
Young to drive jeans sales
Figure 6: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2005-15
Growth in C1s and C2s to benefit jeans
Figure 7: Forecast adult population trends, by socio-economic group, 2005-15
Figure 8: Forecast adult population trends, by lifestage, 2005-15
Consumers cut back
Figure 9: GDP, PDI, consumer expenditure and savings, at constant 2005 prices, 2005-15
Strengths and Weaknesses in the Market
Strengths
Weaknesses
Consumer Purchase of Jeans/Market Size
Key points
Growth in imports
Figure 10: Imports and exports of jeans, 2006-09
Half of adults buy jeans each year
Figure 11: Bought jeans in the last 12 months, 2006-10
Most spend under £50 on jeans
Figure 12: Amount spent in total on jeans, 2010
Figure 13: Trends in amount spent in total on jeans, 2007-10
Key brands
Figure 14: Turnover of the main players in the jeans market, 2008-09
Mid-market jeans brands threatened by stores’ own brands
Diesel seen as trendy by young men
Companies and Products
Major players
VF Corporation
Recent activity
Financial performance
Figure 26: Financial performance of VF Corporation, global, 2008-09
Brand overview and innovation
Advertising and marketing
Levi’s
Recent activity
Financial performance
Figure 27: Financial performance of Levi Strauss UK Limited, 2008-09
Brand overview and innovation
Advertising and marketing
Diesel
Recent activity
Financial performance
Figure 28: Financial performance of Diesel London Limited, UK, 2007-08
Brand overview and innovation
Diesel Black Gold
Diesel Kid
Advertising and marketing
Lee Cooper
Recent activity
Brand overview and innovation
Advertising and marketing
Pepe Jeans
Financial performance
Figure 29: Financial performance of Pepe Jeans London Limited, UK, 2008-09
Brand overview and innovation
Advertising and marketing
Replay
Recent activity
Financial performance
Figure 30: Financial performance of Fashion Box Greece S.A. (Group), global, 2008-09
Brand overview and innovation
Gap
Recent activity
Financial performance
Figure 31: Financial performance of Gap, Inc., global, 2008-09
Figure 32: Financial performance of Gap, Inc. in europe, by brand, 2009
Brand overview and innovation
Advertising and marketing
Brand Communication and Promotion
Key points
Figure 33: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on jeans, by main advertiser, 2006 and 2010
Adspend on jeans falls
TV adspend replaced by outdoor ads
Figure 34: Main monitored media advertising expenditure on jeans, by medium, 2006-2010
The Consumer – Pairs of Jeans Owned
Key points
Figure 35: Number of pairs of denim jeans owned, September 2010
Figure 36: Number of pairs of denim jeans owned, September 2010
Britons own nearly four pairs of jeans
Young women own 5-7 pairs
Over-45s own only 1-2 pairs
Few own more than eight pairs
One in eight don’t wear jeans
The Consumer – Where They Shop for Jeans
Key points
Figure 37: Brand of jeans bought, by age and affluence, September 2010
Figure 38: Stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, September 2010
Next most popular for jeans
Figure 39: Consumers who have bought jeans for self from supermarkets or Primark in the last two years, by age group, September 2010
Older shoppers opt for supermarkets
Young buy from Primark
M&S favourite among over-55s
Online
Young buy fashion jeans
Figure 40: Consumers who have bought jeans for self from other fashion stores, New Look, Topshop and Topman in the last two years, by age group, September 2010
Figure 41: Consumers who have bought jeans for self from Levi’s, other jeans retail brands and designer brands in the last two years, by age group, September 2010
Men twice as likely to buy Levi’s
Department stores
Men favour designer jeans
Gap fades away
Mix and match
Consumer – Motivations for Buying Jeans
Key points
Figure 42: Reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, September 2010
Replacing worn jeans
Discounted denim
Women enjoy adding to their wardrobe
Young buy when a style suits them
Jeans as a treat
Jeans sizes
Men buy jeans to go on holiday
Women more influenced by fashion jeans
Consumer – Occasions when Jeans are Worn
Key points
Figure 43: Occasions on which likely to wear jeans, September 2010
Older people wear jeans for fewer occasions
Figure 44: consumers who wear jeans for relaxing at home and those that wear them to a friend’s party, by age group, September 2010
Sociable jeans
House-bound jeans
Men wear jeans for a date
Jeans for work
Jeans can be worn most places
Appendix –Internal Market Environment
Figure 50: Bought jeans in the last 12 months, by demographics, 2010
Figure 51: Agreement with selected lifestyle statements on appearance and clothes, by demographics, 2010
Appendix – Consumer – Pairs of Jeans Owned
Figure 52: Stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by number of pairs of denim jeans owned, September 2010
Figure 53: Reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, by number of pairs of denim jeans owned, September 2010
Figure 54: Occasions on which likely to wear jeans, by number of pairs of denim jeans owned, September 2010
Figure 55: Attitudes towards buying jeans, by number of pairs of denim jeans owned, September 2010
Figure 56: Repertoire of stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, September 2010
Appendix – Consumer – Where They Shop for Jeans
Figure 57: Most popular stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by demographics, September 2010
Figure 58: Next most popular stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by demographics, September 2010
Figure 59: Other stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by demographics, September 2010
Figure 60: Stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by most popular reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, September 2010
Figure 61: Stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by next most popular reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, September 2010
Figure 62: Stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by most popular occasions on which likely to wear jeans, September 2010
Figure 63: Stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by next most popular occasions on which likely to wear jeans, September 2010
Figure 64: Stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by other occasions on which likely to wear jeans, September 2010
Figure 65: Stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by most popular attitudes towards buying jeans, September 2010
Figure 66: Stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by next most popular attitudes towards buying jeans, September 2010
Figure 67: Stores from which jeans were bought for self in the last two years, by other attitudes towards buying jeans, September 2010
Appendix – Consumer – Motivations for Buying Jeans
Figure 68: Most popular reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, by demographics, September 2010
Figure 69: Next most popular reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, by demographics, September 2010
Figure 70: Other reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, by demographics, September 2010
Figure 71: Reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, by most popular occasions on which likely to wear jeans, September 2010
Figure 72: Reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, by next most popular occasions on which likely to wear jeans, September 2010
Figure 73: Reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, by other occasions on which likely to wear jeans, September 2010
Figure 74: Attitudes towards buying jeans, by most popular reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, September 2010
Figure 75: Attitudes towards buying jeans, by next most popular reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, September 2010
Figure 76: Attitudes towards buying jeans, by other reasons or occasions for which new jeans were bought, September 2010
Appendix – Consumer – Occasions when Jeans are Worn
Figure 77: Most popular occasions on which likely to wear jeans, by demographics, September 2010
Figure 78: Next most popular occasions on which likely to wear jeans, by demographics, September 2010
Figure 79: Other occasions on which likely to wear jeans, by demographics, September 2010
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