Apparel market in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts
Despite facing a few turbulent years due to inflation and rising energy and sourcing costs, the British fashion retail market has been gradually recovering over the past few months. In 2024, revenue was estimated to reach 85.85 billion U.S. dollars, marking an increase of over 14.4 billion compared to the year prior. Better yet, the market is project to grow even further, eventually reaching over 101 U.S. dollars by 2029. Data on different segments in the industry indicated that women's apparel generates far higher revenues than the men's and children's apparel segments.
UK apparel retail market
In 2025, the value of clothing retail sales in Great Britain increased by roughly 3.5 percent. When it comes to places of purchase, British households prefer to shop from outlets as opposed to clothing and supermarket chains. On average, expenditure on clothing and footwear at outlets reached almost 11 British pounds per week.
There are many well-known brands and retailers in the UK market, some of which generate billions of pounds in revenue. Big names include high street retailers, such as Primark and Next, and online shops, like ASOS.
Manufacturing & trade
The apparel manufacturing market in the UK has also seen changes in recent years. Despite annual turnover of apparel and footwear wholesalers experiencing growth and staying around a heightened level the last years, the annual sales from manufacturers of wearing apparel had fallen in 2024. The value of clothing exports from the country also fell dramatically in 2021, to just over four billion pounds, with exports to the EU worth less than half as much as the year before. This downward trend continued throughout 2024, as both EU and non-EU exports fell.
The apparel industry in the United Kingdom has shown resilience and adaptability in the face of economic uncertainties. With continued efforts made towards sustainability and taking consumers’ wishes into account, the fashion sector has set itself up for further growth.
