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Matalan

One Poll

24 January 2009

FASHION FIX
NEWS COPY
The average woman will spend almost #53,000 in their lifetime - buying copycat clothes just  to keep up with the latest celebrity fashions.
Dedicated followers of fashion will shell out an average of #69 per month on clothes, shoes and accessories in a bid to copy trend-setting stars.
This adds up to spending #828-a-year every year through their adult lifetime including #94 on shoes, #90 on work clothes, #115 on going out clothes and #117 on children's outfits.
The study also found women are still splashing out on clothing despite the credit crunch with the monthly expenditure dropping by just #seven compared to last year.
The most popular item ladies cough up for is underwear followed by jumpers and jeans with 27 per cent admitting to still buying shoes on a regular basis.
Two thirds of women said they felt physically better after purchasing clothes, stating that it gave them a buzz in the tough economic climate.
Despite the doom and gloom ahead two out of three women said they would NEVER stop shopping for clothes even if they had to rely credit cards and loans.
A spokesman for Matalan said: ''People are now being more careful and canny with their money.
''Every woman wants to look good and doesn't want to have to compromise on clothes despite times being tight at the moment.
''This is one of the key reasons for the sales growth we have seen at Matalan over the tough Christmas period.
''We have seen a real boom in sales of shoes - proving women's love for shoes as the ultimate feel good purchase.''
It also emerged 30 per cent of the 1,500 women polled said they felt under constant pressure to keep up with current trends and shell out on clothes.
More than half of women said they felt coerced in to having to be stylish by friends and co-workers.
The study also found 54 per cent said they now regularly head for  value stores - with 80 per cent of people saying there was no difference in the quality of clothes.
ENDS
Research conducted by global market research company www.onepoll.com