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90% of UK plus size women feel neglected by UK retailers
12 Aug '14
2 min read
Ninety percent of women over the size of 14 feel abandoned by UK high street fashion retailers and two-thirds of those surveyed feel the range of clothing and sizes available on the high street is disappointing, says a survey from a Aussie plus size fashion retailer.
Aussie plus size womenswear fashion retailer - Taking Shape which has over 130 stores across Australia and New Zealand and which has now opened over 18 stores in the UK, undertook this nationwide survey to gauge the dissatisfaction levels of plus size women.
According to the survey, plus size shoppers feel store staff do not understand them and cannot relate to their needs with only 1 in 10 plus size women feeling comfortable asking for help from in-store assistants.
Many of these women have now abandoned shopping on the high street, preferring to pick up basics from online or supermarkets. Astonishingly, only 7% of plus size women say they buy clothes with fashion or trends in mind, instead having to buy clothes to hide the parts of their bodies that they hate.
The research reveals that the biggest bug-bear for women shoppers sized 14-plus is having a door or curtain in the store changing room that provides enough privacy, closely followed by not having helpful attendees on hand to give them good advice or alternative sizes.
The survey’s regional results were just as revealing with Scottish plus size ladies feeling the most ignored by the high street. They also turned out to be the least likely to ask for help in store with only 1 in 20 women comfortable asking for assistance, compared to 1 in 5 in Ireland.
Comedian Dawn French was voted the most loved celebrity by plus size women with other celebrities such as Gemma Collins, Melissa McCarthy and Lisa Riley also rated. Dawn was the clear leader, receiving over half of the vote.
Taking Shape with the motto ‘Celebrate Your Curves’ offers UK women clothing in sizes 14 to 26 that is fashionable and flatters and aims to tackle these issues by creating a brand new shopping experience for plus size women.
The UK plus size market is forecast to be worth £6.26 billion this year with year-on-year growth sales expecting to rise by 21% reaching £7.57 billion by 2017.
Aussie plus size womenswear fashion retailer - Taking Shape which has over 130 stores across Australia and New Zealand and which has now opened over 18 stores in the UK, undertook this nationwide survey to gauge the dissatisfaction levels of plus size women.
According to the survey, plus size shoppers feel store staff do not understand them and cannot relate to their needs with only 1 in 10 plus size women feeling comfortable asking for help from in-store assistants.
Many of these women have now abandoned shopping on the high street, preferring to pick up basics from online or supermarkets. Astonishingly, only 7% of plus size women say they buy clothes with fashion or trends in mind, instead having to buy clothes to hide the parts of their bodies that they hate.
The research reveals that the biggest bug-bear for women shoppers sized 14-plus is having a door or curtain in the store changing room that provides enough privacy, closely followed by not having helpful attendees on hand to give them good advice or alternative sizes.
The survey’s regional results were just as revealing with Scottish plus size ladies feeling the most ignored by the high street. They also turned out to be the least likely to ask for help in store with only 1 in 20 women comfortable asking for assistance, compared to 1 in 5 in Ireland.
Comedian Dawn French was voted the most loved celebrity by plus size women with other celebrities such as Gemma Collins, Melissa McCarthy and Lisa Riley also rated. Dawn was the clear leader, receiving over half of the vote.
Taking Shape with the motto ‘Celebrate Your Curves’ offers UK women clothing in sizes 14 to 26 that is fashionable and flatters and aims to tackle these issues by creating a brand new shopping experience for plus size women.
The UK plus size market is forecast to be worth £6.26 billion this year with year-on-year growth sales expecting to rise by 21% reaching £7.57 billion by 2017.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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