Abstract
This report examines trends in EU imports and import prices for textiles and
clothing as a whole and for 12 major product categories, namely cotton yarn,
fabrics woven from synthetic staple fibres, fabrics woven from synthetic
filament yarn, T-shirts, pullovers, trousers, women' s blouses, men' s shirts,
women' s overcoats, women' s dresses, women' s skirts, and women' s suits.
Overall, EU textile and clothing imports rose in value by just 0.2% in 2008,
reaching Euro80.46 bn (US$117.65 bn). However, the overall figure conceals the
fact that clothing imports alone were up by 2.4% in value while textile
imports declined by 5.7%. In volume terms the trends were similar as textile
and clothing imports as a whole fell by 2.9% but clothing imports rose by 2.8%
while textile imports fell by 6.7%. In the first three months of 2009,
reflecting the worsening economic situation, textile and clothing imports fell
by 1.7% in value terms and by 11.9% in volume.
Prices rose in 2008, despite an increase in the availability of supplies
following the removal of safeguard quotas against China at the end of the
previous year. Some suppliers increased their prices in order to maintain
revenues in the face of falling sales volumes as the global financial crisis
took hold. However, many suppliers have been moving to higher value products.
Eight of the ten largest textile and clothing suppliers to the EU raised their
prices in 2008. Among these, the average price of imports from Vietnam rose by
a significant 49%. However, this was exceptional, and other increases were
more moderate. In the first three months of 2009, all of the ten largest
suppliers raised their prices at a time when volumes were declining.
EU imports of Chinese dresses, pullovers, trousers, T-shirts and women' s
blouses - which had been subject to safeguard quotas from mid-2005 to the end
of 2007 - rose in volume at double and triple digit rates in 2008, while the
average prices of these imports fell at double digit rates. In contrast,
imports of these items from Vietnam all fell sharply in volume but surged in
price.
| 
View Cart
