Spending on clothes reaches record low, figures show

Outlay on clothes and shoes continued to decline in 2008, dropping to 21.60 a week, down from a peak of 23.90 in 2004/05, the Office for National Statistics said yesterday.

But spending in most other areas, including food, transport, housing and recreation, rose during the year.

Overall, the average household spent 471 a week during 2008, up from 459.20 the previous year.

But there was a wide variation in the amount people spent, with the 10 per cent of households in the highest income group spending an average of 1,044.90 each week, while those in the bottom 10 per cent spent just 153.70 a week.

Transport remained the largest single area of expenditure, with people spending an average of 63.40 a week on getting around, up from 61.70 in 2007.

The increase was driven by the steep rise in petrol and diesel prices, with 21 a week of total transport costs going on fuel, 15 per cent more than a year earlier.

Families typically spent 60.10 a week on recreation and culture, a quarter of which went on package holidays, while 4.80 went on sports admissions, subscriptions and leisure classes; 1.90 was spent on going to the cinema or museums and 3.20 went on gambling.

People spent an average of 4.80 a week on television, videos and computers, down from 5.40 in 2007.

Around 50.70 a week was spent on food, nearly three-quarters of which was spent in large supermarket chains.

Families spent most on meat at around 10.90, while 3.70 went on fresh vegetables, 3 on fruit and 4 on non-alcoholic drinks. On top of this, 13.40 a week was spent on alcohol.

Housing fuel and power costs accounted for 53 a week, while 37.70 went in restaurants and hotels.

There was a slight fall in the amount consumers spent on alcohol, tobacco and narcotics, household goods and services, education and health during the year.

n A two-car family is now paying an average of nearly 12.50 more a week for petrol than a year ago, the AA said yesterday.