Brits spend £5.9 billion on their winter wardrobe

Brits will spend a total of £5.9 billion on their winter wardrobes for themselves and their families this season, according to research commissioned by Sainsbury's Bank home insurance.

The research suggests that each British household currently owns £1,891 worth of clothing and footwear and with new winter wardrobe expenditure added, the average household's wardrobe contents could soon be worth £2,237. Yet around 61% admit to not knowing the value of wardrobe cover that their home insurance policy offers, and one in four (24%) say they don't have a home insurance policy in place that covers the contents of their wardrobe at all.

Those that don't have home insurance in place to cover their wardrobe contents could collectively have over £13 billion worth of uninsured clothing and footwear items in their homes.

David Barrett of Sainsbury's Home Insurance said: "Our analysis suggests that the contents of the average wardrobe can increase by almost one fifth (18%) over the winter months. The average household owns over £2,000 worth of clothing and footwear and most home insurance policies will include this within contents cover. We'd encourage everyone to check the level of contents cover their policy provides and that they've included the value of their wardrobe items when calculating the sum they need to insure.

David added: "Our research looked specifically at winter clothing purchases however we'd advise households to think about the value of their wardrobe all year round. For example, everyday items like handbags or shoes can be expensive, especially if they are designer brands, and the value of these could easily be overlooked. We'd recommend keeping receipts wherever possible and it's a good idea to make a list of all of your wardrobe items as this could help you if you need to make a claim."

The research suggests that this winter, the items that shoppers are looking for the most are woolly jumpers or cardigans, which 38% of people say they have already bought or will buy for themselves or a member of their family. One in three people (33%) say gloves are on their winter wardrobe shopping list and 29% say a winter coat is.

For further information on Sainsbury's home insurance, visit sainsburysbank.co.uk or pick up a leaflet in store.