United States Of America : Apparel Sales To Rebound Sharply

Consumers are spending more in apparel and footwear as per the post Iraq war consumer spending study, recently released by market information company The NPD Group Inc.

The apparel and footwear industries saw dollar volume decreases of two and five per cent respectively in 2002 over 2001 - but reports 14 per cent of consumers are planning to spend more than usual on apparel during the months of May, June and July says NPD.

The same holds true for shoes and athletic footwear. Ten per cent of consumers are planning to spend more than usual on footwear in the next three months.

”Consumers are beginning to show signs of wanting to get back into the stores and shop for their spring/summer wardrobes," said Marshal Cohen, senior industry analyst, The NPD Group.

”The stores are ready for them with lots of new colours and fashionable products. Between the war, cold weather lingering around many parts of the country and the horrible storms in the South, it was not a good start for the spring season.

”We don’t expect consumers to go out and replenish their entire wardrobes, but they will be looking to add onto them and find some fun fashions this season.”

According to the study, the biggest shift for apparel spending came from consumers aged 18-34 with no children. This age group plans to spend 24 per cent more than usual on apparel over the next three months versus 19 per cent who planned to spend more on apparel before the war.

For footwear purchases, consumers aged 35-54 with children said they would spend 15 per cent more than usual on footwear over the next three months vs. 10 per cent before the war.

”There are major shifts in who is spending on apparel and footwear right now. It was all about the teens and young adults last year. This year, with the way the economy is, you will start to see very slow signs of recovery and the younger consumers will no longer be the only ones to target,” added Cohen.