Would shoe believe it? One in eight women own a staggering 100 pairs of footwear... with up to four million passing the century mark
- The average British woman owns 30 to 35 pairs of shoes while men own 18 pairs
- Retailer Shoeaholics.com found the nation's love of footwear grew in pandemic
- Trainers became more popular but there was a sharp rise in sales of formal shoes as restrictions began to ease
British women are a well-heeled lot, with one in eight owning more than 100 pairs of shoes, according to a survey.
The extraordinary findings suggest as many as four million have passed the century mark – although the average is a slightly more manageable 30 to 35 pairs each.
The norm for men is 18 pairs, the poll found, though they tend to spend more per pair – an average of £93.28 versus £87.43 for women.
Among those who have shoe collections to rival Imelda Marcos, doctor Daisy Mae, 59, owns more than 100 pairs worth £10,000 in total, while 52-year-old events manager Katie Porter has a trove of 500 worth £25,000.
Retailer Shoeaholics.com found the nation's love of footwear only grew during the Covid lockdowns.
Doctor Daisy Mae (pictured), 59, owns more than 100 pairs of shoes worth £10,000 in total
Just under half of its customers have bought six or more pairs over the last 12 months.
Our quieter social lives increased the popularity of trainers, which made up half the retailer's sales this year, compared with 20 per cent five years ago.
However, as restrictions eased, their sales of formal shoes increased by 40 per cent year-on-year, and the average height of women's heels is now a towering four inches, up from three.
Mark Hoyal-Mitchell, head of Shoeaholics, said: 'Even we were surprised by how many pairs people have added. They must give over a remarkable amount of wardrobe space to house them.'
52-year-old events manager Katie Porter (pictured) has a trove of 500 shoes worth £25,000
