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Demographic population statistics in the UK as of early 2011
PLUS WOMEN
Latest research from MINTEL:
- Almost one in four (25%) British ladies or some 4.9 million women taking a size 18 and over. 10.1 million women in the UK (equivalent to nearly 40% of the female population) wear size 16 and over.

- The market for plus-size clothing has grown by almost 50 per cent to £3.8 billion in the past five years, according to the figures, with around 6.2 million women falling into the category. The average size for all UK women is a 14. If sizes change as much as they have done since the 1950s demographic shifts alone will mean that by 2011 as many as 6.4 million women will be a size 18 and above. This is an increase of almost 40% on 2006 figures.

- Britain spent £2.3 billion on plus-size clothes in 2005, accounting for as much as 17% of the total £13.5 billion womenswear market. In the last five years, Mintel estimates that the plus-size market for womenswear (sizes 18+) has increased by 45% to £3.8 billion in 2010, compared to growth in the overall womenswear market of just 15%. Larger-size menswear has also grown steadily by 6% to £1.9 billion between 2005 and 2010.

- Younger consumers, who are the key targets for the majority of fashion retailers, are seeing their weight rise has generated an even greater need for plus-size clothes. The ageing population has also played its part as there tends to be a strong correlation between age and weight - as people get older they tend to take a larger dress size

- Over one in three (36%) women say that the size that fits them varies from store to store. This is usually due to ‘vanity sizing’ and uncertainty over sizing is one reason why four in ten shoppers stick to a small number of stores where they know the sizes will fit and the styles will suit their shape. Today, fewer than one in five (17%) women feel that standard sizes fit them well and some 14% of women believe that difficulty in finding clothes to fit well makes them feel that they have the wrong shape and should lose weight.

- Retailers are not matching demand as over half of women who are size 18 find that not enough shops offer a range of choices to cater for different sizes. Furthermore, more than four in ten women size 18 and over believe that plus-size clothes tend to be less fashionable than smaller sizes.

- Many stores that do sell plus-sized garments use thin models (size 4 – 10) in their adverts. Plus women are very aware of this discrepancy and find it to be offensive.

DISABLED PEOPLE
As of 2009:

- There are over 11 million disabled people of working age which represents 19% of the working population. Of those, 5 million are over state pension age.

- There are currently 1.3 million disabled people in the UK who are available for and want to work.

- Only half of disabled people of working age are in work (50%), compared with 80% of non-disabled people.

- The total UK disability equipment market has been estimated at £1.46 billion for 2008 compared with £1.34 billion the previous year. Sales of disabled equipment in the UK have increased by 92.6% over the last 10 years and the total market size increased by 9.2% last year.


MATURE WOMEN

- Over the period 1984-2009 the number of people aged 65 and over in the UK increased by 20 per cent to 10.1 million; in 2009, 16 per cent of the population were aged 65 and over. - Population ageing will continue for the next few decades. By 2034 the number of people aged 85 and over is projected to be 2.5 times larger than in 2009, reaching 3.5 million and accounting for 5 per cent of the total population. The population aged 65 and over will account for 23 per cent of the total population in 2034, while the proportion of the population aged between 16 and 64 is due to fall from 65 per cent to 59 per cent. By 2031, it is projected that the UK population will be 71.1 million, with 22 per cent of the population – more than 15m people - aged 65 and over, with nearly 2.9 million people aged 85 or more.

- Playtex has made marketing to the mature population a hallmark of their business model since early 2010. Director of PR Firm Sixty, Marilyn Wicks said regarding Playtex, ‘Brands are so focused on what young women want that they forget there are 21 million people over 50 in the UK and this is set to rise in the next few years. Marketers are missing a trick.’
- House of Fraser head buyer Nancy Driscoll said about using mature models to market lingerie, “[It’s a] great idea as women of that age do not want to be patronised and would prefer to see the lingerie they are about to purchase on a realistic model.”

- The over 40’s market are getting more fashion driven, as evidenced by a growth in sales in bikinis (rather than swimsuits) and requests for more plunging necklines and trend colours.
- Debenhams released a report last year entitled ‘The Cougar Effect.’ The store claimed the over forties sector was its fastest growing market and that TV shows, such as Cougar Town, were giving women the confidence to splash out on themselves. Head Lingerie Buyer, Annette Warburton said: “It’s important that women at any age feel fantastic in their underwear. Over the last six months, our lingerie fitters have reported a sharp rise in the number of women in their 40’s and 50’s booking consultations to overhaul their lingerie wardrobes. We currently bra fit over 250,000 women a year and the 40 plus age group is now our fastest growing market.”


WOMEN OF COLOUR

- According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, 8.4% of all UK residents are non-white. While the majority ethnic group is classified as ‘White British’, the proportion of individuals classified as ‘White’ decreased from 93 per cent in 2001 to 90 percent in 2007. The proportion of black, Asian and other ethnic minorities will rise from 8% of the population, as recorded in the 2001 census, to 20% by 2051. Ethnic minorities will shift out of deprived inner city areas to more affluent areas, which echoes the way white groups have migrated in the past.

- Recently, migration flows have diversified, which has led some academics to coin the term "super-diversity" to describe the UK population's composition.

- London is particularly diverse with about 35% of the population from non-White groups. The largest minority groups are Asian or Asian British (14%) and then Black or Black British (12%). Half of the 1.2 million pupils that attend schools in London are from minority ethnic groups. It is estimated that over 300 languages are spoken in London.

- A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Sheffield Hallam University, London Metropolitan University and the University of Alberta are working on a two-year research project called ‘Ethnic Diversity in UK Social Research & Public Policy Research.’ Their preliminary findings show that there is growing awareness of the need for (and right to) inclusion of minority ethnic individuals in research that influences social policy and practice. There is concern, however, that the majority of funded UK social policy research focuses predominantly on the majority White British population and fails to consider ethnicity as a variable of analysis. This has affected how retailers market (or fail to market) to minority customers.


MoD’s FINDINGS: -

When Dove used ‘real women’ in their campaign starting in 2004, both their sales and marketing presence went up. In 2006, Dove started the Dove Self-Esteem Fund that claims to change the Western concept of beauty from ultra-thin models with perfect features to making every girl and woman feel positive about her looks. Their market research proved to them that showing ‘real’ women with whom their customer population could identify was key.

- Our sources at Ultimo Lingerie Company tell us that the Ultimo Real Woman contest was overwhelmed with applicants, and the number of “real women” who vied for the contest was exponentially more than they expected. Bravissimo also sells bras in larger sizes and uses larger, more curvy models.

- When Debenhams used disabled a model their sales went up:
http://blog.debenhams.com/meet-shannon-our-first-disabled-model/womens-fashion/

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/news/british-high-streets-first-disabled-model-is-coming-to-a-shop-window-near-you-1909908.html

- Our research, in addition to years of amassed anecdotal evidence, proves without a shadow of a doubt that the population of the UK is very diverse in terms of size and shape, ability level, age, and ethnicity and will only continue to become more so in the future. Retailers, marketers, and advertisers who ignore this do so at the peril of their company’s financial health.

- The vast majority of the fashion industry ignores the diverse make-up of their clientele. When only young, white, thin, tall, and able-bodied models are employed in marketing goods that will be used by consumers who do not match the model, this sends out a damaging message, especially to young people.

- Using more diverse models garners a lot of press and media attention and thus is an intelligent business move by corporations who retails fashion, health or beauty products. Again, this is good business practice.

- Being able to wear garments marketed towards, and designed for, people of diversity has an immense affect on the self-esteem of the general populace. For example, we have heard from many disabled people in the UK that seeing Kelly Knox, a stunning model who won BBC’s Britain Missing Top Model in 2008, taking the modeling industry by storm has helped them recognize their own value and worth. Models of Diversity would like to see changes like this sweep the fashion, marketing and commercial industries.

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www.modelsofdiversity.org
www.sinclairmanagement.co.uk
MoD Office +44 (0)20 8946 7084