Women's trainers outsell high heels for the first time

In the past year more women bought trainers than bought high heels thanks to the huge surge in health and fitness and the "Athleisure" trend, according to new figures released by Mintel.

Of women who bought shoes in the past year 37% bought trainers, while 33% bought heels. In the same survey one year previously heels and trainers were "toe to toe", says Mintel, with 35% each.

The trend towards trainers is most noticeable in the 35-plus market. Of women who bought shoes in the past year in the 35-44-year-old age bracket almost half (48%) had bought trainers but only 30% had bought heels. Mintel says notable role models for this age group include Victoria Beckham who has recently ditched her heels in favour of sneakers and flats.

Flat shoes overall remain the most popular category with 51% of women having bought them in the past year, followed by flat boots (30%) and flat sandals (25%). When asked to state a preference, 59% of women overall said they preferred to wear flats while 12% opted for heels.

Mintel senior fashion analyst Tamara Sender said the trainer's popularity was not just down to the rise in sporting activity but also down to the influence of Athleisure wear (people wearing sportswear for everyday activities). "For the first time ever sales of trainers have overtaken high heels. The UK sportswear market has seen strong growth in the last year and there has been a trend for consumers to integrate sports clothing into their daily wardrobes, meaning trainers have also become more popular among women, overtaking heels to become the second favourite item of footwear after flat shoes," she said.

"Athletic footwear is increasingly being used for everyday non-sporting activities showing that trainers are now more likely to be used for non-sports use. Women aged 35 to 44 have become the main trainer buyers proving the trend is no longer limited to younger consumers," Sender added.

But it's not just sales of trainers that are increasing, the UK footwear market overall is expected to increase 5.4% in 2016 to reach £10.5bn, up from £10bn in 2015. And that growth trajectory is expected to continue with sales forecast to increase a further 25% over the next five years to reach £13.2bn by 2021.

As with clothing men's footwear growth is outperforming the women's market growth. Mintel's research reveals that the men’s footwear market will grow 9% from £3.6bn in 2015 to reach £3.9bn in 2016. In comparison, women’s footwear fell 2.5% from £5.6bn in 2015 to £5.5bn in 2016.

“While women’s shoes dominate the market, the men’s footwear sector is growing at a faster rate as men become increasingly interested in fashion and grooming, pushing up sales of men’s clothing and men’s footwear,” said Sender.