It’s a bit hackneyed to suggest that French women are slimmer than their British counterparts but, like every cliché, it contains a drop of truth. M&S, which is set for a Paris re-launch in November selling food, womenswear and lingerie, it will have to make adjustments for its local clientele, most pertinently, in bras.
The retailer is loved for its underwear – last year it shifted 21 million bras and 60 million knickers, equivalent to two pairs per minute.
M&S’s most popular bra size is 36DD, far above France’s average 32C, according to research by online lingerie and swimwear retailer figleaves.com.
But M&S is used to catering for different markets. In China, shoppers favour smaller bra sizes and buy more of its range of petite clothing. The average size for womenswear in China is 6-8 – in Britain, it is 14-16. In British stores, the sizing goes up to 20-22 and online, clothing stretches to sizes 26.
There is still some way to go before M&S decides on stock for its return to France, which is scheduled for November, but it is pretty safe to say, there may not be too many Parisians shopping for its biggest size – the 44J bra.