Size 16 mannequins launched on British high street

London (AFP) - Debenhams has become Britain's first mainstream high street retailer to permanently introduce size 16 mannequins, designed to be more representative of "the average British woman", the department store said Wednesday.

The retailing chain said the new mannequins are being used at its flagship outlet on London's Oxford Street, and it plans to introduce them in all 170 of its British stores.

Most mannequins used on the high street are a size 10 but Debenhams said it now intends to mix the different sizes on all of its women's fashion floors.

"The average British woman is a size 16, but the high street has been showing them clothing on a mannequin that is three sizes smaller -- until now," said Debenhams' director Ed Watson.

"Having worked on this project for three years, we hope that it will help people in some small way to feel comfortable about their bodies and, crucially, that other retailers will follow."

The store first trialled the mannequins three years ago and has since been working on a range of models designed and manufactured in-house.

Britain's equalities minister Jo Swinson backed the move.

"Many customers want to see more realistic images in magazines, TV and on the high street, and having mannequins that reflect and celebrate our diverse society is one way of helping to achieve this," Swinson said.

"Recent research found that women are three times more likely to buy clothes when the fashion models are their size, so I hope more retailers will recognise that meeting customer demand for more diversity makes good business sense."