The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
According to the latest report of the Argentine Confederation of Medium Enterprises, (CAME) sales of apparel in the country increased 15.9 percent this March when compared to the same month in 2020. While this number points to a partial recovery of the sector, sales are still 31 percent lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The organisation also cited delays in the supply chain that affected companies’ product offering which in turn negatively impacted sales. Meanwhile factors that helped the recovery include an uptick in online channels and home deliveries, children returning to school which generates a spike in clothing sales (in Argentina the school year is from March until December) and discounting.
Argentina’s broader retail sector is also showing signs of partial recovery. Small and medium enterprise retail sales increased 14.4 percent from March 2020 to March 2021. However, March 2021 sales were 24.9 percent lower than the same month in 2019. CAME’S reports are based on a survey of 1100 local businesses conducted between 29 March and 3 April 2021.
Though e-commerce reshaped retailing in the US and Europe even before the pandemic, a confluence of economic, financial and logistical circumstance kept the South American nation insulated from the trend until later.
This week’s round-up of global markets fashion business news also features Korean shopping app Ably, Kenya’s second-hand clothing trade and the EU’s bid to curb forced labour in Chinese cotton.
From Viviano Sue to Soshi Otsuki, a new generation of Tokyo-based designers are preparing to make their international breakthrough.
This week’s round-up of global markets fashion business news also features Latin American mall giants, Nigerian craft entrepreneurs and the mixed picture of China’s luxury market.