Bath is Britain's surprise suit capital as sales jump 96%

Bath has been named Britain's suit capital after suit sales in the city rose by more than 96% in a year, according to new retail data.

Suit revenue in Bath increased by 96.1% between 2025 and 2026, the biggest percentage rise among the UK cities analysed.

Norwich recorded the second-highest increase at 57.6%, followed by Manchester at 44.3%, Plymouth at 32.6% and Birmingham at 26.4%.

The figures come from menswear specialist Dobell (dobell.co.uk), which analysed year-on-year suit revenue across a number of UK cities.

The data also points to growing interest in men's formalwear, with searches for “suit” and “suits” increasing by 124.4% year-on-year.

Searches for morning suits rose by 307.4%, while interest in linen suits increased by 297.3% and waistcoats by 103.2%.

Kevin Livesey, chief operating officer at Dobell, said Bath's increase was a notable shift, particularly as some of the strongest growth was being recorded outside traditional fashion centres.

He said: “People might dress more casually day-to-day than they once did, but weddings, black-tie events and other special occasions are clearly still giving men a reason to make an effort.”

The growth in Bath contrasts with London, where suit revenue fell by 9.7% between 2025 and 2026, despite the capital remaining Dobell's largest market by overall revenue.

The figures are based on Dobell's own sales and website search data.