Fast fashion: a financial snapshot

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to establish an objective measure for the success of fast fashion to deliver measurable financial improvement.Design/methodology/approachA statistical analysis of published financial data has been used to determine if any statistically significant difference exists between the financial performance of retailers split into two groups; fast fashion and non‐fast fashionFindingsThe research shows that no statistically significant difference exists between the financial measures of the two groups. However, some objectivity is given to the claim that reduced inventory contributes to the financial health of a fast fashion retailer.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to published financial data; for some retailers this was not available at all, for others, it was not available for each, and similar, years.Originality/valueTo the authors knowledge, this is the first paper to look objectively at the financial benefits associated with retailing to a fast fashion model.