Is Your Love Life Dead or Alive? It Could be Down to Your Bed Sheets

LONDON, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Bed linen could be the deal-breaker when it comes to final success in the bedroom, according to new research of 2,000 UK adults by COTTON USA in association with Drapers magazine. It seems that singletons could be falling at the last hurdle, with 43% listing football team-themed sheets as the biggest turn off. Other themed bed linen, such as Star Wars, follows closely behind as a repellent for over 20% of those polled.

A shocking 18% of singles admitted that their sheets were changed by their parents and, when left to their own devices, over a fifth of singletons only change their bed linen once a month With almost a fifth of singles believing it acceptable to use and keep a duvet cover for over ten years, the statistics imply that with no one to impress, they are slacking in the cleanliness department.

Durability and the look and feel of fabric are top of the consumer list when buying a new set of bed linen, demonstrating that quality is crucial. However, with over three quarters of unattached shoppers spending only GBP50 or less on a new set of bedding, it is clear that the recession has taken its toll on consumer buying habits.

Encouragingly though, more than half of consumers say that quality of fabric, its longevity and durability or its comfort, look and feel encourages them to buy cotton items, demonstrating that when they do purchase new bed linen, they buy it to last.

Steph Thiers-Ratcliffe, International Marketing Manager, COTTON USA comments: "The research suggests that whilst young, single consumers may not be shopping for bed linen as often and are changing their sheets less, the quality of the fabric and the durability of the sheets are paramount to enabling these choices.

"Our COTTON USA 'Naturally' Mark is a symbol of purity, strength, comfort and quality and helps shoppers to identify premium cotton items that are made to last."

Notes To Editors

About the research

The research was carried out for COTTON USA and Drapers magazine by One Poll, an independent research company. Fieldwork in the United Kingdom was conducted from 18th to 21st January 2011. 2,000 UK adults were surveyed. The answers were analysed to give the results stated above.

Contact: Sophie Coughlan; sophie.coughlan@kaizo.net; +44(0)203176-4706