International Observation: Epidemic Spread, War Inflation, Global Textile And Garment Industry Trend Analysis

　　 Analysis of global energy and clothing prices, significantly affected by the trend.

01 / EU

In April this year, inflation in the euro area reached an annual rate of 7.4%, a 25 year high. In terms of countries, the inflation rate in April was 7.8% in Germany, 5.4% in France, 6.6% in Italy and 8.3% in Spain. Inflation in the Baltic countries, as well as in the Netherlands and Slovakia, is double-digit.

According to Eurostat, after three months of continuous decline, the retail sales of textile, clothing and footwear in the EU increased by 4.3% month on month in February, up 9.7% year-on-year, returning to more than 80% of the level before the epidemic.

In the first quarter of this year, EU clothing imports reached 26.22 billion US dollars, up 13.2% year on year. Imports from China amounted to 7.85 billion US dollars, up 12.8% year on year; It accounted for 30%, a slight decrease of 0.1 percentage points over the same period of last year. Imports from Bangladesh, Turkey, India and Vietnam increased by 40.6%, 17.6%, 11.9% and 8.8% respectively over the same period of last year, and their proportions increased by + 4.0%, + 0.4%, - 0.1% and - 0.2 percentage points respectively.

02 / Japan

According to the survey results released by Japan's Ministry of general affairs on May 10, the actual household consumption in March decreased by 2.3% year-on-year due to the epidemic situation, rising prices and other factors. Experts pointed out that at present, Japanese household consumption has not yet returned to the level of fiscal year 2019 before the outbreak of the epidemic. Since March, the yen has depreciated by 10% against the US dollar, even breaking through 130 yen, a 20-year low.

According to the data of Japan's Ministry of economy, industry and industry, in the first quarter of this year, Japan's textile and clothing retail sales totaled 2 trillion yen, a year-on-year decrease of 2.4% and a decrease of 22.5% compared with the same period before the epidemic. In March, Japan's textile and clothing retail sales reached 727 billion yen, up 39.8% month on month, down 7.2% year-on-year, and still down 24.4% compared with the same period in 2019.

In the first quarter of this year, Japan imported 6.43 billion US dollars of clothing, a decrease of 6.7% over the same period last year. (in yen terms, imports increased by 2.3% year-on-year.) Imports from China amounted to US $3.56 billion, down 3.7% year on year; It accounted for 55.4%, with a year-on-year increase of 1.7 percentage points. Imports from Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Myanmar increased by - 12.2%, 13.4%, 3.2% and 12.6% respectively over the same period of last year, and their proportions increased by - 0.9, 1.0, 0.5 and 0.6 percentage points respectively.

03 / UK

CPI (4%) and electricity prices rose the most in the UK since last month. Consumer confidence in the UK fell to its lowest level in 50 years in May as high inflation continued to depress household sentiment and squeeze real incomes.

The overall recovery of textile and clothing retail was good. In the first four months of this year, the retail sales of textiles, clothing and footwear in the UK totaled 16.33 billion pounds, up 60% year-on-year and 1% lower than the same period in 2019. In April, the retail sales of textile, clothing and footwear reached 4.01 billion pounds, a decrease of 18.4% month on month, an increase of 11.8% year-on-year, and a slight increase of 1.9% compared with the same period in 2019.

In the first quarter of this year, British clothing imports reached US $6.29 billion, up 29.5% year-on-year. Imports from China amounted to US $1.67 billion, up 56.4% year on year; It accounted for 26.6%, with a year-on-year increase of 4.6 percentage points. Imports from Bangladesh, Turkey, India and Italy increased by 70.2%, 44%, 34.1% and 0.4%, respectively, accounting for 4.1%, 0.9%, 0.2% and - 1.5 percentage points respectively.

04 / Australia

Consumption demand continued to be strong and the recovery was stable, far exceeding the pre epidemic level.

In the first quarter of this year, the retail sales of clothing and footwear stores reached a $8.16 billion, a year-on-year increase of 12.9% and an increase of 27.4% over the same period in 2019. In March, the monthly retail sales volume was $2.82 billion, up 14.3% year-on-year and 31.2% higher than the same period in 2019.

The retail sales of department stores in the first quarter was a $5.17 billion, up 0.8% year-on-year and 11.4% higher than the same period in 2019. In March, the monthly retail sales volume was a $1.83 billion, up 1.3% year-on-year and 18.3% higher than the same period in 2019.

In the first quarter, online retail sales amounted to a $11.18 billion, up 24.5% year-on-year and up 126.9% compared with the same period in 2019. In March, the retail sales of a $3.72 billion, a year-on-year increase of 24.1%, a sharp increase of 125.2% over the same period in 2019.

In the first quarter of this year, Australia imported 2.45 billion US dollars of clothing, up 6.8% year on year. Imports from China amounted to US $1.52 billion, up 7.9% year on year; It accounted for 62.1%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points year-on-year. Imports from Bangladesh and Vietnam increased by 12.7% and 24.6% respectively year-on-year, accounting for 0.5% and 0.8% respectively.

05 / Canada

Retail clothing has returned to the basic level before the outbreak. In the first two months of this year, the retail sales of clothing stores in Canada reached 5.76 billion Canadian dollars, an increase of 46.6% year-on-year, and a decrease of 0.4% compared with the same period in 2019. Retail sales in February were $3.08 billion, up 40.6% year-on-year and 7.1% over the same period in 2019.

In the first two months, the retail sales of furniture and home furnishing stores were $3.87 billion, up 19.4% year-on-year, and 25% higher than that of the same period in 2019. Among them, the retail sales in February were $1.91 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 6.6% and 23.3% over the same period of 2019.

In the first quarter of this year, Canadian clothing imports reached 2.71 billion US dollars, a slight increase of 0.2% over the same period of last year. Imports from China amounted to US $850 million, down 14.3% year on year; Accounting for 31.5%, a year-on-year decrease of 5.3 percentage points. Imports from Bangladesh and Vietnam increased by 35.5% and 13.5% respectively, accounting for 3.6% and 2.3% respectively.

(source: circulation branch of China Textile Federation)