At this time of year, many women may be hoping their other halves present them with new designer handbags as festive gifts. The same is true when it comes to birthdays, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries and so on.

After all, most ladies can’t get enough of these accessories. As well as looking great, they are also a practical necessity.

However, it seems as though women may be better off buying the products themselves rather than waiting for their partners to do the honours. According to research conducted by Superdrug, millions of men in Britain are clueless when it comes to purchasing presents for their partners.

Despite the fact that 60 per cent of the male consumers polled claimed to know their wives or girlfriends “very well”, 23 per cent had no idea what dress sizes they were. Even more surprisingly, 12 per cent could not remember when their partners’ birthdays were and 35 per cent didn’t know the date they met.

Meanwhile, 12 per cent of women questioned revealed they have had to return gifts they didn’t like because their partner clearly hadn’t paid attention.

Commenting on the figures, marketing manager for Superdrug Gemma Mason said: “The results of this study are quite alarming. There are some basic details men really should know about their partner.”

She added: “Men can be forgiven for not knowing their partner’s mobile phone number off by heart, but it’s not difficult to take a look on their dressing table to see which perfume they’re using. Christmas shouldn’t be fraught because a woman receives a gift that makes her feel she’s a stranger to her partner.”

Of course, by selecting their own bags, women can ensure they end up with versions that tick all of their boxes.