High street retailers in the UK appear to be reducing their range of plus-size clothing, a trend that a recent report suggests may be linked to the growing popularity of weight-loss drugs. Research from retail intelligence platform Edited indicates a decrease in the proportion of plus-size dresses offered by major stores.
According to the findings, M&S saw the share of new dresses offered in plus sizes (above size 18) fall from 34% in early 2024 to 27% by the summer. John Lewis experienced a similar decline, with the percentage of new plus-size dresses dropping from 22.3% to 19.2% over the same period. This shift is happening despite a past increase in the availability of larger sizes during the peak of the body positivity movement.
One account describes a personal experience in 2019 at Zara, where finding an XXL size proved difficult, with an employee stating such items were only stocked online. More recently, a shopper reported struggling to find any item larger than a size 16 at an M&S branch in west London. These anecdotes suggest a potential return to a scenario where larger sizes are less accessible in physical stores.
The author notes that fifteen years ago, fashion choices for size 18 individuals were limited, but by 2020, many high street stores offered a wider selection. The current trend, as indicated by the Edited report, suggests a reversal of this progress. The rise of weight-loss medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro is cited as a potential factor influencing the market. The report from Edited implies that pharmaceutical companies, such as Eli Lilly which produces Mounjaro, may be indirectly impacting retail inventory decisions. The author expresses concern that this trend not only affects clothing sizes but also narrows the perceived acceptable range of female body types.