Men's pants going up at M&S by 43%


He famously complained about the declining quality of M&S's underpants. So Jeremy Paxman might find the store's latest change hard to take.

As recession bites and sterling slides, the price of men's underwear is rising - by up to 43%.

The BBC Newsnight presenter hit the headlines when he said of M&S underwear: 'There's no other way to put this. Their pants no longer provide adequate support.'

The chain refuted allegations that the quality of its product had declined.

But it appears that these days, those who want quality have to pay a little bit more for it.

A three-pack of pure cotton assorted briefs has risen from £3 to £4, a five-pack of slips from £3 to £4 - and a three-pack of boxers from £3.50 to £5.

M&S sources insisted that the price rise was a one-off increase.

However, the price of pants is often seen as a bellwether for clothing prices. And there are fears that bras, knickers, skirts and suits bought on the High Street, could all become dearer.

The declining value of the pound may contribute, as it is now more expensive for retailers to import clothing from India and China.

Simon Wolfson, chief executive of Next, has said that sterling's collapse could push prices up 10% from this summer.

Retail analyst Nick Bubb, of Pali International, said: 'We had not expected price rises because of the fall of the pound to start to arrive until the autumn, but maybe they are going to come earlier.

'Stores have three solutions. They can try and source things more cheaply; they can pass on price rises to consumers or they can take a hit on their margins. In reality, it will end up being a bit of all three.'

It may be that M&S put up the cost of men's underwear as men are not as sensitive to prices when shopping for pants, so no dip in sales may result, he added.

M&S said: 'Our men's pants are great quality and fantastic value. We constantly review prices to ensure they are competitive within the sector - which has fluctuated considerably over the last year.'

Men's pants going up at M&S by 43%

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