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Clothing Retailing in Australia Industry Data and Analysis
The Clothing Retailing industry is susceptible to consumer spending patterns, which is why the digital revolution and inflationary pressures have beset its performance over recent years. The pandemic forced most retailers to shut down temporarily, eroding instore sales and fast-tracking their transition into the digital space. Clothing retailers have continued to merge the physical and online sectors as part of their multichannel agendas, developing websites and mobile apps, accompanied by increased expenditure in digital marketing, to boost the number of customer touchpoints. This trend enabled retailers to capitalise on the pandemic-driven online shopping boom. Retailers benefited from higher profitability as pandemic restrictions eased, with revenge spending and soaring inflation boosting earnings. However, the cost-of-living crisis has led consumers to pare back their expenditure over the two years through 2024-25, restricting their outlay on non-essentials like clothes or prompting them to choose more cost-effective options online. Overall, revenue is expected to have grown at an annualised 2.6% over the five years through 2024-25 to $28.1 billion. This includes an anticipated 8.3% fall in 2024-25 as consumer pessimism compels shoppers to save more and spend less.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2015-2030. The most recent publication was released May 2025.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Clothing Retailing industry in Australia operates under the ANZSIC industry code G4251. Clothing retailers purchase a variety of apparel products and accessories from wholesalers and manufacturers and then sell these products directly to consumers, generally without developing or changing them. Retailers in the industry sell goods in one or more shops and may operate an online store. Related terms covered in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia include point of sale (pos), bricks-and-mortar, radio frequency identification (rfid) and wholesale bypass .
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Clothing Retailing industry in Australia include Men's clothing, Women's clothing and Girls' clothing.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia include Cotton On Group, Country Road and Premier Investments.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia in 2026?
The market size of the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia is $28.3bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia in 2025?
There are 13,806 businesses in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia, which has grown at a CAGR of 2.9 % between 2020 and 2025.
How may import tariffs affect the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia?
The Clothing Retailing industry in Australia is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia?
The Clothing Retailing industry in Australia is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia has been growing at a CAGR of 2.6 % between 2020 and 2025.
What is the forecast growth of the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia is expected to grow.
What are the biggest companies in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia?
The biggest companies operating in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia are Cotton On Group, Country Road and Premier Investments
What does the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia include?
Women's clothing and Men's clothing are part of the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia?
The company holding the most market share in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia is Cotton On Group.
How competitive is the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia?
The level of competition is high and increasing in the Clothing Retailing industry in Australia.
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