Ref. 71886-38SUPERMARKET giant Asda has overtaken Marks and Spencer as Britain's biggest clothing retailer.

According to figures from research firm TNS, Asda now has 9.4 per cent of the clothing market, compared to 9.1 per cent share by Marks and Spencer.

Asda would not confirm the figures, but said it was now the "number one" firm, while M&S declined to comment when contacted.

Asda's George clothes brand has gone from strength to strength, and now the company sells the brand worldwide.

It started a trend in Britain for shoppers to buy clothes alongside groceries and is sold in 240 of Asda's 265 stores.

The company is now testing stand-alone George stores in the UK as well as testing in Wal-Mart stores in Germany, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Canada and the United States.

Marks and Spencer has been Britain's largest clothing retailer for decades but in recent times, has suffered falling sales and a declining market share amid tough competition.

New Marks & Spencer chief Stuart Rose has been under pressure to lift performance since he fought off a £9.1 billion takeover bid for the British retail icon in July.

Asda is putting much of its recent success down to listening to customers and buying in bulk.

As a result, Asda has been able to purchase fabrics, such as denim and fleece, at far lower prices, which means it can sell a pair of denim jeans for £4 in the UK.

Sam Farmer, George clothing supervisor at the Asda store in West Swindon said: "This is great news. We have been really trying hard in recent years to keep prices low and keep with the fashions.

"You only need to look at our range of Ponchos and our essentials range where you can buy T-shirts for £2 and jeans for £4.

"Where else can you get a pair of jeans for £4?

Several customers leaving the Marks and Spencer store in Swindon were not surprised by the news.

Nick Wells, 26 a teacher from Chippenham said: "They have been going down for a while.

"Nowadays people tend to be less loyal to a particular store. They shop around for a cheaper deal."

Asda's George range was founded by George Davies who previously founded clothing retailer Next.

He built up George for Asda over 10 years.

Mr Davies, 62, who lives in the Cotswolds, then moved on to Marks and Spencer in 2001 to design and manufacture the brand Per Una.

Anthony Osborne