Press Release from TDC January 2006:
Positive Outlook for Clothing Industry in 2006
Seventy percent of the respondents in a recent Trade Development
Council (TDC) survey on trends in the clothing industry believe this
year's market outlook will be better than last year.
Oracle Added Value, an independent survey company commissioned by
TDC, interviewed a total of 400 exhibitors and 736 buyers attending
the Hong Kong Fashion Week and World Boutique this week.
According to the survey, the abolition of textile and clothing
quotas among WTO members last year has continued to increase export
interest to regions where the quota system was previously
applicable, namely, the US, Canada, Turkey and European Union.
Sixty-nine percent of the exhibitors interviewed said that they
expect to sell more goods to these countries in 2006 than 2005. The
estimated average increase in the volume of products sold is 19%.
Major findings of the survey are as follows:
Market
outlook for 2006 and market trends:
- About 70%
of respondents said 2006 will be better than 2005.
- Both
exhibitors and buyers think that age groups 21-25 and 26-30 have
the highest growth potential.
- White
collar workers and professionals/ managers/ executives are
expected to be the market segments with the highest growth
potential.
Regions
with biggest growth in retail market: The Chinese mainland is
regarded as the largest growth region, followed by Western Europe
and the U.S. The average growth rate for these regions is expected
to be around 20%.
The estimated
average growth rate of the Chinese mainland market in 2006 is 22%.
The top five cities with the biggest growth potential are Shanghai,
Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shenzhen.
Nearly 60% of
the buyers interviewed placed more orders in 2005 as compared to
2004. Both the quantity of each order and the average unit price
have increased.
Impact of
abolition of textile & clothing quotas among WTO members:
-
Fifty-eight percent of exhibitors said they actually sold more
products to the U.S., Canada, Turkey and European Union in 2005
than 2004. As for 2006, 69% of exhibitors expect to sell more to
the same markets than 2005. The average increase is 19%.
- Change of
sourcing patterns – 77% of buyers selling to the U.S., Canada,
Turkey and European Union said they sourced from other different
countries or regions in 2005 than 2004. Among those buyers, 63%
said they sourced more from the Asia-Pacific. The Chinese
mainland and Hong Kong companies are the most popular suppliers.
-
Fifty-eight percent of the buyers interviewed increased the
number of their orders in 2005. Forty-seven percent of buyers
increased the quantity of each order while 38% of buyers
increased the average unit price.
Product
Trends:
- Clothing
categories with the fastest growth in 2006 are:
Leisure casual wear/street wear, followed by evening wear/ party
dress, business casual wear and sports wear.
- Popular
colours for Fall/ Winter 2006 (apart from black, white and
grey):
Leisure casual wear/ street wear: beige, khaki, purple and brown
Business wear: beige, khaki, brown and purple
- Popular
materials for Fall/ Winter 2006
Leisure casual wear/ street wear: cotton, denim and knit
Business wear: cotton, corduroy, wool, polyester and knit
- Popular
material characteristics for Fall/ Winter 2006
Leisure casual
wear/ street wear: softer handfeel, wrinkle-resistant, color-fast
and durable
Business wear:
softer handfeel, wrinkle-resistant, stain resistant, and materials
that facilitate special design & cut and water resistant
The Chinese
mainland market:
- Forty
percent of exhibitors and buyers interviewed are currently
selling to the mainland market.
-
Fifty-nine percent of exhibitors and 54% of buyers expect to
conduct sales in the mainland in the next three years.
Brands in
Hong Kong:
- About 60%
of respondents think Hong Kong companies in the casual wear/
street wear category have the highest potential to develop their
own brands, followed by the evening wear/ party dress category.
- When
comparing products at the same price level, more than half of
respondents think that Hong Kong brands offer better design than
other countries/ regions.
- When
comparing products of the same quality, Hong Kong brands are
considered to be more competitive in price.
- Hong Kong
brands are perceived as most appealing to the Asia-Pacific
Region, especially the Chinese mainland, followed by Europe and
the U.S.
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