Key UK Fashion Retail Metrics Every Seller Should Watch
Key UK fashion retail metrics are quantifiable indicators that measure sales efficiency, customer behaviour, pricing movement, and channel performance within the British fashion sector. In practical terms, these metrics show how much consumers spend, how often they buy, where they shop, and how retail performance changes across regions, formats, and time.
The tables below focus strictly on measurable performance data relevant to fashion sellers operating across the United Kingdom.
UK Fashion Retail Market Size and Sales Distribution
Annual UK Fashion Retail Value Breakdown
Year
Total Fashion Retail Value (£bn)
YoY Change (%)
Share of Total Retail (%)
2019
62.4
+2.1
11.3
2020
51.6
−17.3
9.6
2021
56.9
+10.3
10.4
2022
63.8
+12.1
11.1
2023
65.2
+2.2
10.9
2024
66.7
+2.3
10.8
Fashion Spend Split by Category
Category
Share of Fashion Spend (%)
Avg Annual Spend per Shopper (£)
Womenswear
52
675
Menswear
32
415
Childrenswear
16
205
Physical Store Footfall and Conversion Metrics
Average Monthly Footfall by Store Location Type
Location Type
Avg Monthly Footfall
YoY Change (%)
High Street
42,000
−6.8
Shopping Centre
61,500
−4.2
Retail Park
74,200
+1.9
Outlet Village
89,600
+3.4
In-Store Conversion Rate Benchmarks
Store Format
Avg Conversion Rate (%)
Avg Transaction Value (£)
High Street Fashion
18.4
47
Premium Fashion
22.1
89
Value Fashion
24.7
31
Outlet Stores
26.9
54
Online Fashion Retail Performance Indicators
UK Fashion Ecommerce Share of Total Fashion Sales
Year
Online Share (%)
Physical Share (%)
2019
29
71
2020
46
54
2021
41
59
2022
38
62
2023
36
64
2024
35
65
Ecommerce Conversion and Basket Metrics
Metric
Fashion Ecommerce Avg
Non-Fashion Retail Avg
Conversion Rate (%)
2.9
3.4
Avg Basket Value (£)
78
64
Items per Order
2.4
1.8
Return Rate (%)
32
14
Pricing, Discounting, and Margin Behaviour
Average Fashion Discount Depth by Season
Season
Avg Discount (%)
Units Sold on Discount (%)
Spring
21
44
Summer
29
61
Autumn
18
38
Winter
35
72
Gross Margin Ranges by Fashion Segment
Segment
Gross Margin (%)
Luxury Fashion
62–68
Premium High Street
55–60
Mass Market Fashion
48–54
Discount Fashion
35–42
Regional Fashion Spending Patterns in the UK
Average Annual Fashion Spend per Adult
Region
Avg Spend (£)
London
1,045
South East
815
East of England
742
North West
618
West Midlands
594
Yorkshire and Humber
572
Scotland
601
Wales
533
Northern Ireland
521
Store Density per 100,000 Residents
Region
Fashion Stores per 100k
London
94
South East
71
North West
66
Midlands
62
Scotland
58
Consumer Behaviour and Purchase Frequency
Fashion Purchase Frequency (Per Adult, Per Year)
Metric
Average
Fashion Purchases per Year
22
Online Purchases
9
In-Store Purchases
13
Average Time Between Purchases (days)
17
Age-Based Spending Distribution
Age Group
Share of Fashion Spend (%)
16–24
18
25–34
27
35–44
21
45–54
16
55+
18
Inventory, Stock Turn, and Sell-Through
Stock Turn Ratio Benchmarks
Retail Type
Annual Stock Turn
Fast Fashion
8.2
High Street Fashion
6.4
Premium Fashion
4.7
Luxury Fashion
3.1
Seasonal Sell-Through Rates
Season
Avg Sell-Through (%)
Spring
71
Summer
78
Autumn
69
Winter
83
Returns, Refunds, and Reverse Logistics
Fashion Returns by Channel
Channel
Return Rate (%)
Online Orders
32
Click and Collect
24
In-Store Purchases
9
Primary Return Reasons
Reason
Share of Returns (%)
Size / Fit Issues
46
Style Not as Expected
21
Quality Perception
14
Late Delivery
11
Other
8
Labour, Cost Pressure, and Operational Metrics
Labour Cost as % of Fashion Revenue
Retail Format
Labour Cost (%)
High Street Stores
14.6
Shopping Centres
13.2
Online-Only Fashion
9.8
Omnichannel Retailers
12.4
Average Cost Inflation Impact (2024)
Cost Area
Avg Increase (%)
Rent
+6.1
Utilities
+9.4
Logistics
+7.8
Packaging
+5.6
At this point, we’ve covered market size, sales distribution, footfall, ecommerce performance, pricing, margins, regional spend, consumer behaviour, inventory efficiency, returns, and operating costs using tables only.