UK women’s determination to stick to their New Year resolutions is being credited for soaring sales of female fitness wear.
Over one in three women (35%) said they were continuing with a health and fitness programme in a bid to lead a healthier lifestyle, according to a survey by online retailer Simply Be.
Past studies showed that eight out of ten normally give up their good intentions by January 12th and just eight per cent are still going after 100 days (April 10).
The poll showed that among those women who said they had stuck to their fitness resolutions almost two thirds, 61%, said they were on an exercise and healthy eating programme, while a fifth of them, 21%, said they were concentrating solely on an exercise plan. Seven out of ten of these women, 72%, said they were confident that they would make long term changes and permanently adopt a more active lifestyle.
Simply Be carried out the poll after seeing rising sales of active-wear. Purchases of sports bras soared to their highest level in two years, up by 40% since 2017. The same pattern was seen in ladies’ trainers with sales up 32% at the end of last month compared to the same time last year
The retailer also found customer online searches including the word “active” were up 110% from last year and a whopping 857% compared to 2017.
“Normally at this time of year we would have seen a tail off in active-wear purchases after the early January peak when perhaps some people’s determination starts to weaken, but instead we’ve had a surge in sales this year and it shows no signs of slowing down”, said Laura MacDonald of Simply Be.
“Women in general are now much more conscious of their health and it looks like that has translated to more of us sticking with our 2019 resolutions to get fitter and more active.”
A steady stream of celebrities have also offered inspiration to those seeking to improve their fitness; the Kardashians, actresses Kate Beckinsale, Zoe Saldana, Jessica Alba and singers Jennifer Lopez, Ellie Goulding and Mollie King are among the famous faces regularly photographed visiting the gym, or even mid work-out.
In addition to the influence of star names, successful high profile Government campaigns encouraging women of all ages to be more active, such as #ThisGirlCan, have helped figures for women regularly exercising to hit new highs. This has been reflected in the number of UK gyms hitting over 7000 for the first time ever, with one in every seven people having a gym membership, according to analysts LeisureDB.
Fashion experts also attribute rising sales of active-wear to improved high-tech fabrics, which are durable and easy to wash, as well as fashionable colours and designer styles.
The most recent figures available show sales of athleisure wear have grown 8% and are worth £2.5 billion in the UK alone.*
Laura MacDonald added: “At Simply Be we encourage all women to enjoy fashion whilst being themselves and love the fact that women of all shapes and sizes are buying on-trend activewear to ensure they stay confident and comfortable when exercising. Our range of activewear includes coloured leopard prints, bold patterns and vibrant colour blocking and is designed to fit and flatter curves, meaning there’s no compromise when it comes to style.”
