The reason why your shoe size differs so much in high street shops revealed
You could be a size 4 in Primark and size 6 in River Island due to the vast difference between high street shops and shoe styles
SHOE sizes can vary by THREE sizes depending on where you shop and the type of footwear you’re buying.
It means you could be a size 4 in Primark flats and a size 6 in sandals from River Island, causing frustration for shoppers.
Sizes often vary depending on the type of footwear within the same shop too, according to an investigation by .
The newspaper sent out a reporter to try on shoes in eight popular high street stores - Marks & Spencer, Clarks, New Look, River Island, Next, TopShop, H&M and Primark - and found a wide range of sizes.
Despite being a size 5 for the past 20 years, the reporter found she was a size 4 in Marks and Spencer soft brown loafers but a size 6 in trainers.
Similarly, in New Look she fitted into a size 5 pink ballet pumps but needed two sizes bigger in gold sandals.
While in H&M she could only squeeze into a size 6 pair of gold ballet pumps.
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And a rising demand for fast fashion by shoppers is behind the confusing and conflicting sizes.
Matthew Fitzpatrick, consultant podiatrist from The College of Podiatry, told The Mirror: “In the past there were fewer retailers selling shoes were the majority were built around the traditional sized moulds.
“But as demand for cheap fashion has increased, each company cuts it its own individual moulds explaining why there is such a variation on the high street.”
Many companies that provide shoes for UK customers outsource production to Asian factories, which further dilutes any standardisation for size.
But shops are not breaking any rules, in fact, they can choose whether to use UK, European or American grading standards.
And due to the difference in shape of feet some will also fit better into certain styles than others.
The Sun Online contacted Marks & Spencer, Clarks, New Look, River Island and H&M for a comment.
A spokesperson for TopShop said they would not be providing a comment.
A Primark spokesperson said: “Consistency of fit is extremely important to Primark.
“Our footwear sizing follows the SATRA Standard and we run a robust quality assurance process which reviews the fit and fabric suitability of footwear at least twice before production starts.”
A spokesperson from Next said: "Next, along with several other U.K. High street retailers, work to U.K. grading standards, whereas some retailers use the European or even American grading standards. "Depending on which grading has been adhered too, a 'standard size 5' is hard to accurately measure. "The foot also behaves differently in different shoe styles, e.g. flats vs high heels, so style along with grading may cause a small variance."
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