Half of women find shopping a chore

THE classic stereotype of shopaholic women is a myth. A major survey today suggests that half consider buying clothes a time consuming and expensive chore, and take no interest in fashion.

More than a quarter have been labelled fashion-phobics, who actively hate shopping and visit the High Street only when absolutely necessary.

Even among young women aged 20 to 24 there is a backlash against retail therapy. The number who have developed a phobia about shopping has trebled since 2002, and now stands at one in 10.

Richard Caines, a consultant at market researchers Mintel, said: 'It is partly to do with the pressures on our time. Perhaps people find they are in such a rush and the shops are so overcrowded they do not find it a pleasant experience when they get there.'

The report also reveals that women do not run wild with their credit cards when they want to restock their wardrobes - perhaps because many twenty-somethings are also trying to service a hefty student debt.

Instead they are keen bargain hunters, who are not obsessed about squeezing into the latest fashions.

The number of shoppers in their early twenties saying they buy clothes 'for comfort, not style' has risen by almost 60%.

The report puts female shoppers into categories:

Fashion phobics: the biggest single group, accounting for 28% of their sample of 1,685 women aged 15 and upwards. These are described in the survey as requiring 'a shopping experience to be as painless as possible, with clothing easy to find and from a convenient location'.

As well as Marks & Spencer and Next, they favour discount chains such as New Look. They are also more likely to use mail-order than other shoppers.

Clothing scrooges: almost one in five women say they are only interested in bargains and do not keep up with fashion trends. They do not enjoy shopping but when they do they head to New Look, George at Asda, Bhs and Matalan.

Shopaholics: the stereotypical fashion-mad woman, who loves the latest styles and counts shopping as her major hobby accounts for one in five women.

Quality conscious: less interested in latest fashions than in classic pieces that will last a lifetime. Just over 20% of women.

Bargain hunters: out in force during sales season, they get a thrill from bagging a discount. Some 10% of women are bargain hunters.

The report, called Womenswear Retailing, also confirms the growing popularity of internet shopping. The proportion of women saying they would never buy online because they prefer visiting the shops has almost halved from 30 to 18% in four years.

It has been a tough year for fashion retailers, with Tesco, Asda and discount stores such as Primark gaining at the expense of the well known High Street names.

Marks & Spencer remains the most popular shop overall, with 46% of women saying they had shopped there last year. But Next and Debenhams increased their market share by 6% and 8%.