A lack of January sale bargains is helping push up the cost of living.
The price of clothing and footwear was a major contributor to rising inflation in January. Overall Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 5.5% in the 12 months to January 2022, up from 5.4% in December 2021.
However, the cost of clothing and footwear rose by 6.3%, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. That was the biggest annual rise since records began in 1989.
Usually, the cost of clothing and footwear falls in January, as shops cut prices during the post-Christmas sales.
Prices did fall in January this year - down by 2.9% compared to December. However, that was the smallest January price fall since January 1990. Last January saw prices drop by 4.9%.
The ONS said between November 2020 and January 2021, there was increased discounting compared with other years. By contrast, in January 2022, it had seen less discounting. This isn’t the first time the traditional sales involved fewer bargains than usual (and came after rising prices).
The ONS said the unseasonal price rise into December 2021, followed by a shallower than usual fall in January 2021, matches the pattern seen in the 2021 summer sales. There was an unseasonal rise in prices in June 2021 followed by a smaller than usual drop in prices in July 2021.
These rises through the year, plus fewer sale reductions has left people paying more for clothes and shoes. Based on price information collected by the ONS, children’s shoes are up by around 8% compared to last year.
The average cost for boys’ shoes in January 2021 was £28.42, while in January this year it was £30.61, while girls’ school shoes rose from an average of £25.94 to £27.97, and children’s trainers went up from an average of £30.37 to £32.71.
Big rises were seen for men’s formal wear - with the cost of a suit up 43.6% in a year, shirts up 27.9%, trousers up 26.7%, and ties up 23.9%.
How much have clothes and shoes changed in price?
Item // January 2021 // January 2022
- BOY'S JEANS (5-13 YEARS) // £12.77 // £12.86
- BOY'S SHOES // £28.42 // £30.61
- BOYS T-SHIRT 3-13 YEARS // £9.57 // £10.63
- CHILD'S PANTS 1PR 18MTHS-13YRS // £1.67 // £1.58
- CHILD'S PYJAMAS 18MTHS-13YEARS // £10.67 // £11.35
- CHILD'S SOCKS 1 PR UK 3-6.5 // £1.41 // £1.08
- CHILD'S TRAINERS-SPORTS // £30.37 // £32.71
- GIRL'S FASHION TOP 12-13 YEARS // £10.81 // £10.0
- GIRL'S JACKET (5-13 YEARS) // £22.87 // £22.27
- GIRL'S LEGGINGS 5-13 YEARS // £7.89 // £6.72
- GIRL'S SHOES SCHOOL // £25.94 // £27.97
- GIRL'S SKIRT FOR SCHOOL 5-13YRS // £9.62 // £9.21
- GIRL'S TROUSERS NOT DENIM 5-13 // £12.38 // £12.41
- MEN'S 3/4 TO FULL LENGTH COAT // £114.46 // £144.39
- MEN'S BASE LAYER TOP LONG/SHORT // £31.62 // £31.04
- MEN'S BRANDED SPORT SWEATSHIRT // £41.60 // £36.11
- MEN'S BRANDED T-SHIRT // £16.96 // £18.79
- MEN'S CASUAL S/SLEEVE TOP // £25.81 // £28.62
- MEN'S CASUAL SHIRT // £34.51 // £34.75
- MEN'S CASUAL TROUSERS // £34.47 // £39.71
- MEN'S FOOTBALL BOOTS // £65.03 // £77.73
- MEN'S FORMAL RDY-MADE TROUSERS // £35.49 // £44.97
- MEN'S FORMAL SHIRT-LONG SLEEVE // £23.07 // £29.51
- MEN'S JACKET/COAT // £80.92 // £79.19
- MEN'S JEANS // £43.47 // £46.85
- MEN''S JUMPER OR SWEATSHIRT // £36.73 // £40.37
- MEN'S JUMPER-KNITTED // £37.83 // £41.35
- MEN'S OFFICIAL FOOTBALL SHIRT // £48.36 // £58.47
- MEN'S PANTS/BOXER SHORTS // £6.68 // £6.65
- MEN'S SHOE CASUAL STYLE // £52.81 // £58.26
- MEN'S SHOE FORMAL STYLE // £57.62 // £67.10
- MEN'S SOCKS 1 PAIR // £3.46 // £3.83
- MEN'S SUIT-READY MADE // £154.77 // £222.23
- MEN'S TIE // £14.53 // £18.01
- MEN'S TRACKSUIT/JOGGIN BOTTOMS // £26.43 // £27.04
- MEN'S TRAINING SHOE-SPORTSWEAR // £56.90 // £64.21
- MEN'S T-SHIRT SHORT SLEEVED // £16.01 // £16.37
- BRA, CUP SIZE A-D RANGE // £14.96 // £14.48
- WOMANS BOOTS // £57.21 // £61.33
- WOMEN'S BASIC PLAIN T-SHIRT // £11.01 // £11.03
- WOMEN'S BLOUSE / SHIRT 2 // £27.63 // £30.49
- WOMEN'S BLOUSE/SHIRT 1 // £26.45 // £28.74
- WOMEN'S CARDIGAN // £31.10 // £30.75
- WOMEN'S CASUAL OUTER JACKET // £55.85 // £56.39
- WOMEN'S COAT // £79.14 // £83.80
- WOMEN'S DRESS -CASUAL/FORMAL // £36.28 // £39.27
- WOMEN'S EXERCISE LEGGINGS // £24.16 // £25.05
- WOMEN'S FORMAL JACKET // £46.22 // £53.76
- WOMEN'S JEANS- BRANDED // £75.25 // £88.14
- WOMEN'S JEANS- OWN BRAND // £25.0 // £25.87
- WOMEN'S JUMPER // £30.61 // £29.49
- WOMEN'S LEGGINGS FULL LENGTH // £17.03 // £13.82
- WOMEN'S LONG SLV TOP-NT BLOUSE // £21.37 // £21.40
- WOMEN'S NIGHTDRESS/PYJAMAS // £21.38 // £20.18
- WOMEN'S PANTS // £6.61 // £6.11
- WOMEN'S SANDALS // £40.22 // £41.55
- WOMEN'S SHOE // £38.0 // £53.63
- WOMEN'S SHOES-FLAT MAX 1" HEEL // £36.84 // £41.12
- WOMEN'S SHORT SLEEVE FORMAL TOP // £26.80 // £22.19
- WOMEN'S SHORT SLEEVE SPORTS TOP // £15.39 // £15.98
- WOMEN'S SHOWERPROOF JACKET // £96.13 // £100.43
- WOMEN'S SKIRT: CASUAL // £26.64 // £26.09
- WOMEN'S SKIRT: WORK/FORMAL // £28.81 // £32.96
- WOMEN'S SPORTSWEAR SHORTS // £17.72 // £18.65
- WOMEN'S SWIMWEAR // £19.26 // £18.94
- WOMEN'S TIGHTS // £4.77 // £4.36
- WOMEN'S TRAINING SHOES // £59.27 // £69.51
- WOMEN'S TROUSERS-CASUAL // £28.58 // £29.90
- WOMEN'S TROUSERS-FORMAL // £30.59 // £35.33
- WOMEN'S VEST/STRAPPY TOP // £13.28 // £11.60
Figures are based on an average of validated ONS price quotes in each of the months.
