UK women spend a lot on bags

British women spend #350 million on handbags

Imelda Marcos might have had 1000 pairs of shoes. But now women in Britain will beat her hands down on the number of handbags they buy.

HT Image

Indeed handbags are the in-thing, and the sale of the costlier and crazier ones has risen by 150 per cent in just five years.

Women in Britain now sling an amazing £350 million worth of new handbags over their shoulders each year. This is despite the price of handbags having fallen thanks to cheap versions of designer ones.

Handbags sales have jumped from £142 million in 2000 to the £350 million recorded in 2005. A survey found that the average handbag and its contents is worth £577, making a collective total of about £14 billion.