Diamond reveals British women’s shoe buying habits

New research from Diamond has revealed women in the UK spent around £3.35billion* on shoes in 2012 but still leave two thirds of their collection of high heels, boots and sandals in the wardrobe.

Diamond revealed the average woman owns 19 pairs of shoes but regularly wears just seven pairs of them. The study of 2,000 women across the UK also revealed one in twenty women are true shoe devotees and own more than 50 pairs while 7% buy 10 or more pairs each year.

Natalie Grimshare, spokesperson for Diamond said: "According to our study, the average woman owns twice as many shoes as her partner and for some women their shoe spending habits have even caused arguments.

“As many as one in eight of the women we questioned told us they’ve argued with their partner either about the amount they spend on shoes or the sheer number of pairs they own.”

Diamond’s research also suggests women in the UK prefer quantity over quality. 69% said if they were given £300 to spend on shoes, they would rather buy lots of cheaper shoes rather than one expensive pair.

That said many women still desire expensive shoes and the brand most coveted is Christian Louboutin, with almost one fifth (18%) of women saying it’s the brand they most crave.

In terms of shoe styles, the average woman owns more high heels than any other type of footwear and many will sacrifice comfort over style. Over a third (36%) of the women questioned admitted to wearing uncomfortable shoes just because they love the way they look.

Natalie continued: "Anyone who takes out a policy direct from Diamond before 30th April 2013 has the chance to win £300 a month to spend on shoes for a whole year.

“The average woman spends £41 on a pair of shoes so if she wins our competition, she could buy more than 70 pairs over the year.”

Interested parties can visit www.diamond.co.uk/shoes for more information on the competition.

-Ends-

Notes to Editors
*The average woman spent £135 on shoes in 2012 multiplied by the number of UK adult females (24,781,000) (UK Census 2011).

Diamond’s survey of 2,000 UK women was conducted by OnePoll in January 2013.

About Diamond:
Diamond, (a trading name of EUI Ltd) launched in 1997, and is part of Admiral Group plc which also includes Admiral car insurance, Bell and Elephant. Diamond offers its customers up to £300 of Handbag Cover and £300 of Child Seat Cover free as part of their comprehensive policy.

Diamond’s sales line is 0800 36 24 36. Its website address is diamond.co.uk.

Diamond writes its motor insurance business to a consortium of insurers, these being:
i. Admiral Insurance Company Limited,
ii. Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited, and
iii. Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) plc.

The Admiral Group employs almost 5,000 people in the UK.

PR Contact:
Natalie Grimshare
Diamond
Capital Tower
Greyfriars Road
Cardiff
CF10 3AZ
029 2043 4333
www.diamond.co.uk

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Natalie Grimshare

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Diamond

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