Hotter Shoes reveals uncomfortable shoes cost UK women £2.5 billion per year

Women across the UK are frittering away £2.5 billion each year on uncomfortable shoes they rarely wear a new study has revealed.

The average woman in the UK spends £136.52 on five new pairs of shoes every year, at a cost of £27.40 each. Instead of investing wisely in shoes they can wear more than once, three out of the five pairs of women's shoes end up at the bottom of the wardrobe having only been worn once or twice, because they hurt the wearer's feet.

The research, commissioned by shoe specialist Hotter Comfort Concept, also revealed that 40% of the 1000 women questioned admitted to choosing their shoes purely for how they looked and not how they felt on their feet.

Lisa McCarten from Hotter, said: "Shoes really can change your life: they have an impact on the health of your feet, can influence how you feel and play a significant part in how much you enjoy your day. Not only do uncomfortable shoes make for a bad day today, squeezing your toes into ill-fitting footwear can also damage your feet causing pain and discomfort in later life."

Worryingly almost a third of women (28%) who have tried on shoes and know that they will be uncomfortable, still purchase them as they can't resist how they look.

Lisa continued: "We all want to look our best, keep up with our busy lives and have fun; stylish comfy shoes are an essential part of the modern woman's wardrobe to help her tackle all three."

62% of women revealed that they spend at least one day a week wearing uncomfortable shoes with 48% hoping to wear them in until their feet get used to them.

More than half of women (53%) will keep uncomfortable shoes for up to a year before giving up on them and throwing them away despite only wearing them once.

They also revealed that they own at least four pairs of shoes just to be worn when sitting down or 'Dinner Shoes' that look amazing but are very painful to walk in.

Regionally, women in Chelmsford buy the most shoes, purchasing on average seven new pairs a year whereas women in Leicester buy the least purchasing just four pairs every year.

Women in Worcester buy the most uncomfortable shoes admitting that 70% of their shoe collection has only been worn once, whereas women in Cambridge are the most comfort savvy revealing that just 20% of their collection has been worn only once.

To assist with the problem of uncomfortable shoes, Hotter's website offers a handy shoe fitting guide, allowing customers to ensure their shoes will fit just right.