George at Asda launches 'plus-size' clothing range

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/sep/08/george-at-asda-launches-plus-size-fashions

Version 0 of 1.

The cheapest "plus size" clothing on the high street is launched today by the UK's leading supermarket fashion brand George at Asda, after women customers complained that they struggled to find fashionable and affordable clothes in larger sizes.

The average women's clothing size in the UK is now 16 up from 14 two years ago but the new George Plus range on sale online will be in sizes 18 to 32. Its standard fashion range is from size 8 to 24.

Its new capsule wardrobe collection will comprise 35 pieces in Breton stripes, photographic florals and jacquard prints, including leggings and T-shirts from £8.

Asda said demand for affordable and fashionable plus size clothing for women was increasing, but cash-strapped shoppers said they currently had little choice.

It claims the range is the cheapest anywhere on the high street with savings of up to two-thirds of the cost of similar items from rivals Evans and Asos Curve. The move comes amid growing competition among grocery chains to offer budget fashion as a route to expanding their customer base. In August, George at Asda leapfrogged Marks & Spencer to become the UK's second largest clothing retailer by volume– second only to the Primark.

Retail experts said the move means that plus size fashion is becoming a mainstream, rather than a niche offering. Anusha Couttigane, fashion retail analyst with Conlumino, said: "Plus sized consumers have historically been short-changed by the fashion market. What we often see is clothing that has been produced on a mass scale but without real attention to detail, with the end result being a plus size range that has been slightly contrived in marketing."

Helen Low, head of design at George, said: "We have used our expertise to really work with garments that are cut perfectly, so the look and fit of these pieces means that our shoppers never have to compromise on style."