2020年12月24日
行業報導 - 2020年12月24日
1、有廠被要求開1日停4日 商戶屢遭催單 義烏限電 工廠搶購發電機
【明報專訊】本月初開始，湖南、浙江和江西多省相繼發布限電通報。擁有全球最大小商品批發市場的浙江義烏市，一度減少市政照明，工廠亦需按照生產天數比例停工。由於年末接獲大量訂單，廠方不得不搶購柴油發電機以保障生產電力供應。國家發改委稱，此輪限電與工業生產高速增長和低溫寒流疊加，導致電力需求超預期高速增長有關。
「義烏之心」電梯全停 商舖提早收
綜合紅星新聞與《南方周末》等內地媒體報道，義烏市中心一家名為義烏之心的大商場，近日6層扶手電梯全部暫停，只開放樓梯。商場內一家商舖的負責人稱，「關店的時間從原來晚上十點半，提前到了九點半」。一家義烏市政府附近的高級酒店在本月12日亦接獲通知，要求酒店降低兩成用電量。有當地小商品生產加工廠東稱，生產線被要求「開三（日）停一（日）」。另有服飾廠東訴苦稱，工廠被要求開一天停四天，「生產線全部斷線了，沒辦法，工人頂不住，還不如提前回家過年」。
義烏經濟開發區一園區工作人員稱，義烏市根據規模和類型的不同，將企業分為A、B、C、D四類。A類是大型企業，幾乎不受限電影響，B、C類企業停電時間逐步拉長，D類企業則生產全停。義烏市政府服務熱線表示，相關措施會持續到年底。
官方稱不缺電 限制為雙控減煤
義烏並不缺電，官方於《節能減排通知書》解釋限電的初衷，稱是為響應義烏市政府「雙控」以及「減煤」的節能工作。能源「雙控」是指控制能源消費強度和消費總量，「減煤」是指削減煤炭消費總量。
國家發改委能源研究所原所長周大地表示，制定「雙控」目標，是依據國內生產總值（GDP）碳排放強度，同時，對能源消費總量也有一定限制。他說，「十三五」期間，有區域為經濟增長，爭相推出高能耗產業，忽視「雙控」目標任務。中國人民大學國際能源戰略研究中心主任許勤華表示，這也與近期多個省份氣溫驟降，加之南方地區多以電供暖，使「電網一下供不上」。
受新冠疫情影響，國外企業仍普遍處於關停狀態。由於聖誕節及元旦臨近，使擁有全球最大小商品批發市場的義烏接獲了大量化纖、紡織、印染等高耗能商品製造訂單。限電事件經網絡傳播後，有店家頻繁接獲客戶催單的電話，要求優先保障出貨。這使得相關的工廠紛紛以發電機應對。
「前天到現在，我們公司已經賣出了13台小型柴油發電機。」 江蘇一家發電機生產商表示最近接獲很多義烏客戶電話。金華發電機租賃企業負責人則稱，過往租金大約6000元人民幣的100千瓦發電機如今需要8000元，現已租出50多台給義烏和周邊的工廠。
資料來源：明報 (2020年12月21日)
2、水熱分離混紡衣物 「垃圾」重生物盡其用
【明報專訊】「速食時尚」平、靚、正，叫人買得開心也掉得痛快。根據環保署統計，2018年紡織物廢料佔堆填區棄置量14.3萬公噸，即平均每日約有390公噸紡織物被送往堆填區，浪費問題相當嚴重。
環保團體不斷推動舊衣回收，究竟如何將舊衣循環再造？是否真的能將垃圾「重生」，為保護環境出一分力？
提起環保衣物，你可能會想到戶外服裝品牌The North Face和Patagonia，推出用膠樽升級再造（upcycle）而成的保暖衣物，以及UNIQLO以舊羽絨製成的環保再生羽絨。然而這類環保產品不算普及。市場上，主流依然是一手貨，且以混紡材質為主，其中以棉質加聚酯纖維（PET）佔最大比例，因為這類合成材質有防水、防風、防皺、吸濕、排汗等效能，提升衣物功能。不過，要將混紡物料分拆回收，比起循環再造單一纖維布料相對困難。現有舊衣回收處理技術，主要分成機械（mechanical）、生物（biological）、化學（chemical）3種類別，究竟有何分別？
傳統技術難兼得兩布料
傳統的機械技術，是用機器將舊衣打碎成纖維和紗線，重新製成新的服飾，然而這種技術不能將混合材質分開，只能處理單一纖維布料。生物和化學技術能針對混紡衣物，前者在氣候乾爽和室溫環境下，用酵素將衣物中棉質降解成溶液，維持於固體狀態的聚酯纖維，可再次投入織物生產，降解過程約需1天；而舊式化學技術，利用有機溶劑，將棉或聚酯纖維溶解，以取得其中一種材質，無法兩者兼得；新的化學處理技術，稱「水熱分離系統」或「Green Machine」，只需30分鐘至2小時，有效地將棉與聚酯纖維分隔。
聚酯纖維變紡紗 棉加工可作紡織或農務
這項化學處理技術——水熱分離系統，由香港紡織及成衣研發中心（HKRITA）研發。根據研究結果顯示，整個過程只需用熱能、水和少於5%天然環保化學劑，與剪細布碎一同放入反應器，加熱至110℃至150℃，釋出的熱力和酸性將棉纖維分解成纖維素粉末（cellulose powder），而聚酯纖維在處理過程中保持完整，最後用過濾器將粉末濾出，分隔兩種物料。
回收後的聚酯纖維，由於分子重量沒有減低，質素媲美原生纖維，能直接用作紡紗，製成新布料。至於由棉分解而成的纖維素粉末，經加工形成紗線，可用作紡織的棉，或提煉成SAP（super absorbent polymer），適用於農業生產的高吸水性聚合物。SAP吸水和保水能力極佳，混合於土壤，能迅速儲存露水或雨水，供農作物慢慢吸收；像棉花需要大量陽光和水分的植物，即使在乾旱缺水的沙漠地區下種植，都能依靠聚合物中的水分穩定生長，提升品質。
生物分解環保化學劑 避免二次污染
至於分離過程中的水和環保化學劑，循環再用比率高達95%，而環保化學劑可被生物分解，不會造成二次環境污染。相比從原材料生產聚酯纖維，每噸需用上67千兆焦耳熱量，但水熱回收處理只需19千兆焦耳，就可得出數量相同的聚酯纖維。
供紡織業使用 達可持續發展
此項技術於2017及2018年分別獲得「香港綠色創新大獎」銀獎和「第46屆日內瓦國際發明展」金獎，HKRITA行政總裁葛儀文（Edwin Keh）表示，「透過與供應鏈上不同伙伴合作，開發一套具工業規模的系統」，目的是令大量混紡物得以回收，供紡織業再次使用以達到可持續發展。
位於大埔的龍達紡織公司環保紗廠，引入了一個小型（工業前規模）水熱反應系統，以作研究評估用途；印尼一家名為PT. Kahatex的紡織生產商，亦於廠內設置工業規模的 Green Machine，將服裝生產過程中的剩布回收再造，每天處理約1.5噸紡織廢料；而瑞典快時尚品牌Monki，近日宣布利用從水熱反應系統中回收的聚酯纖維，推出時裝系列。
從構思、研發、落實運作，以至工業化，水熱反應循環回收系統，前後用了4年時間，在科研角度算是重大突破。雖然很多人仍覺得在香港搞環保是天方夜譚，成本高昂之餘，相比起外國發展多時的環保時裝市場，資源或技術亦較遜色，但今次Green Machine揚威國際，受到海外製衣廠和零售品牌賞識，證明了本土紡織界的科研力量。
循環再造：4小時「改頭換面」 舊衣變新衫
【明報專訊】一件具紀念價值的舊衫，即使不再合身，卻遲遲不捨得丟掉，與其堆在衣櫃底封塵，不如交由製衣達人賦予舊衣第二生命，為你度身訂做全新衣物。位於南豐紗廠的G2G（Garment To Garment）舊衣新裳循環系統，正正是一個迷你舊衣翻新工廠，店內研究員會利用舊衫舊布作紡織材料，重新再造成為針織服飾，最快4小時收貨！
一站式處理 毋須用水染色
系統由HKRITA、龍達紡織有限公司及 H&M Foundation三方共同研發，40呎長形貨櫃裏，設有8個回收再造系統組件，從消毒衣物、切碎成紗線、梳理纖維、紡織新衣，所有步驟一站式處理，過程毋須用水和染色，相當環保。大家可透過網上預約，將舊衣（毛衣或T恤較佳）帶到店內，研究員確認適合循環回收後，便會將衣物放到系統機器內處理。新製成的衣物款式主要有圓領、V領針織毛衣或圍巾，紡織時間約需4小時至2天，視乎舊衣的物料和狀况。貨櫃採用落地櫥窗式設計，大家親眼目睹自己的舊衫翻新過程。
3D掃描度身 剪裁更精準
HKRITA行政總裁葛儀文表示，目前G2G系統每月可處理40件衣服，計劃將會把處理拆紗的機器自動化，加大機器處理紡織衣物的容量，希望在沒有人員處理情况下，能自行快速地完成工序。店內同時設有一部3D掃描儀器，可掃描顧客身體尺寸，未來將會把量度出的數據接駁紡織機器，使生產出來的服飾剪裁更加精準稱身，同時會繼續發展其他梭織產品，並與本土設計師合作，為舊衣設計出更多不同時尚款式，使之成為一個更商品化的循環再造系統。
除了香港以外，這「迷你工廠」亦設於瑞典斯德哥爾摩一家H&M時裝店，命名為Looop，客人只需付上150瑞典克朗（約135港元），便可將舊衣轉化成新裝，從而鼓勵大眾珍惜衣服，支持服裝循環回收，給予舊衣「重生」的機會。
■G2G舊衣新裳
地址：香港荃灣白田壩街45號 南豐紗廠G05-07號店
價錢：$499/件
註：表面帶有膠漿印刷或特殊塗層，或物料含彈力纖維成分的衣服、羽絨服及皮衣等，均不適合回收再造
資料來源：明報 (2020年12月22日)
3、馮國經倡港力谷貿易融資 接軌實體經濟 助全球中小企復甦
馮氏集團主席馮國經接受本報訪問提到，香港要保持及加強作為國際金融中心的地位，應提升與實體經濟的掛鈎，致力發展貿易融資，這不但能幫助正處於水深火熱的中小企，更有助支持全球經濟在未來幾年的復甦。他亦提倡，香港應盡快加入《區域全面經濟夥伴關係協定》（RCEP），看好香港具備商貿人脈及法治等優勢，有能力擔任非常活躍的角色，有信心香港可加入成為首批新成員。
對於全球經濟未來幾年如何從疫情後復甦，馮國經認為，其中一個潛在阻力，是貿易融資不足。他稱，自2009年金融風暴後，貿易融資被認為是高風險項目，歐洲銀行大量退出相關業務，貿易融資存在至少2萬億美元的巨大缺口，卻始終未見填補，令全球中小企經營變得十分困難。
這方面正是香港金融市場能作貢獻的地方，馮國經強調，香港優勢在於金融及調配全球供應鏈方面，有能力加大發展貿易融資，讓香港的金融中心不只是股票市場，長遠亦應加大與實體經濟接軌。
RCEP勢成新世貿 籲速加入
他建議，多國政府合作，藉官方出口信用機構，容許銀行向中小企增加借貸信用額；並呼籲20國集團及世界銀行參與，「供應端同需求端都要一齊加先得，初期壞賬風險會高，但可當是補貼行業，亦會產生Multiplier Effect（乘數效應）。當個案累積，大數據亦會教我們辨清借貸風險。」他透露正透過國際商會（ICC）向各方游說，而收回的意見普遍是支持。
中國、日本、南韓、澳洲、紐西蘭及東盟共15國家上月簽訂RCEP，馮國經稱，香港對RCEP是「非加不可」，除了日、韓，香港與當中的成員國本身已有自由貿易協議及合作，中國亦支持香港加入。他提到，環球多邊貿易制度正面臨重整，看好RCEP將成為「新世貿模式」，因協定的包容性高、門檻低，發展中或已發展國家都可加入。
問到中國與澳洲正處於貿易爭端中，他認為，國與國之間關係永遠拉拉扯扯，最終兩國利益終歸需要互相包容，不阻協定向前走。他又說，美國總統當選人拜登奉行多邊貿易主義，提倡競爭同時合作，不排除美國日後會加入該協定。
馮國經預期，在未來20年，亞洲佔全球消費將升至超過一半，區域內有消費力及生產力，區內貿易將加大，亞洲由南至北的流動，會是全球最重要的流動，「香港就如這個漏斗的中間，單是做大灣區與東盟之間的貿易已很吸引。」
擔當大灣區基本研發領袖
對於大灣區發展，他認為，香港可在基本研發及數碼化供應鏈方面發揮帶領角色，將能第二次起飛。他提到， 香港的基本學術科研豐富，應做好由研究到商業化變現的首段路，大灣區其他城市在這方面的能力不如香港，「高端製造業亦應在香港發展，其後可在大灣區測試市場反應，及實行大量生產，再推廣到全球，這種速度，是美國矽谷做不到的地方。」
資料來源：信報財經 (2020年12月22日)
4、粵十四五規劃 舉全省之力建大灣區
【本報訊】廣東省委昨發布該省十四五規劃及2035年遠景目標建議（《建議》），其中提到2020年GDP預計11萬億元（人民幣，下同），較10年前翻一番。
《建議》還指出，舉全省之力推進粵港澳大灣區建設和支持深圳建設先行示範區，深化粵港澳高水平互利合作，把「雙區」打造成為現代化建設的主引擎。
料GDP逾11萬億 多10年前1倍
《建議》首先闡述「十三五」時期廣東取得的成績，預計今年GDP超過11萬億元，比2010年翻一番。在中美經貿摩擦、疫情等因素影響下，仍完成了「十三五」規劃中提出的目標。
在粵港澳大灣區方面，《建議》提到，以共建重大發展平台拓展粵港澳協同發展空間。強化深圳前海、廣州南沙、珠海橫琴先導作用，探索粵港澳深度合作、協同發展新模式，為港澳經濟發展提供新動能、創造新空間。優化提升深圳前海深港現代服務業合作區功能，創新發展金融、物流、文化創意等產業，建設國際化城市新中心。打造深港口岸經濟帶，推進河套深港科技創新合作區建設。打造廣州南沙粵港澳全面合作示範區，加快建設大灣區國際航運金融和科技創的承載區。
深化粵港澳 科創交流合作
在中央強調科技自力更生的背景下，《建議》亦提及粵港澳的科技創新交流合作。《建議》指出，以強化區域協同創新打造國際科技創新中心。深化與港澳科技創新交流合作，構建開放型融合發展的區域協同創新共同體，打造全球科技創新高地和新興產業重要策源地。更好發揮港澳開放創新優勢和珠三角產業創新優勢。
另外，在廣東省內聯通方面，《建議》提出，加快推進鐵路、高速公路、世界級機場群和港口群等重大交通設施建設，推動「市市通（時速）350高鐵」。推動廣州、深圳立足全局謀劃城市功能布局和現代產業發展，建設具有全球影響力的大灣區「雙子城」，放大輻射帶動和示範效應。着力建設「半小時交通圈」，推進建設廣州至深圳高鐵新通道。
資料來源：香港經濟日報 (2020年12月19日)
5、沃爾瑪夥TikTok直播賣時裝
有意趁機入股短片平台抖音海外版TikTok的美國零售商沃爾瑪（Walmart）， 宣布與TikTok合作，利用TikTok平台直播推銷時裝產品。
沃爾瑪表示，由美國時間周五（18日）開始，TikTok用戶透過平台上沃爾瑪的即時直播頻道，可以觀看主持人展示時裝並即時訂購，毋須轉至沃爾瑪網站進行購物。
出售包括Champion等品牌
沃爾瑪與TikTok的合作覆蓋多個時裝品牌，包括Champion、Jordache等，以及自家品牌商品如Free Assembly及Scoop等，沃爾瑪市務總監William White認為，新銷售方式為消費者帶來購物便利。
沃爾瑪網上銷售在疫情之下急速增長，今年8月至10月相關淨利潤達51.35億美元，按年大增56%；網購銷售額急升79%，惟低於5月至7月期間的97%增幅。
自從美國總統特朗普簽署行政命令，以國家安全為由要求字節跳動出售旗下TikTok美國業務控制權後，沃爾瑪有意夥同甲骨文（Oracle）入股TikTok，有關磋商暫未有定案。
據稱沃爾瑪早已預期相關談判可能持續多時，故先在個別業務開展與TikTok合作。
資料來源：信報財經 (2020年12月19日)
6、信保局籲出口商 留意買家付款情況
受到疫情影響，香港出口處於不穩定的貿易環境。香港信保局提醒出口商，聖誕節後通常是買家付款困難的高峰期，因此需時刻留意買家的信用風險及付款情況，審慎管理放帳風險。
香港信保局總監黎衍平表示，過去一年，消費者轉移在網上購物，打擊了傳統實體零售市場，令更多公司面臨流動資金短缺或破產風險。而環球市場仍然充滿不明朗因素，出口商與傳統零售商交易時所面對的信用風險持續升溫，故必須留意海外買家的經營狀況。
出口商應與買家保持緊密聯繫及留意其貨品銷情，一旦買家出現延遲還款，便要立即採取迅速及果斷行動以減少損失。
資料來源：香港經濟日報 (2020年12月21日)
7、亞洲金融論壇下月視像舉行
香港貿易發展局表示，鑑於疫情持續，國際差旅嚴重受阻，將重新安排明年首半年的展覽及會議，並以混合模式結合網上與實體的展覽與會議，成為全新本地展覽，另一系列包括金融、創意產業、市場營銷等行業的國際活動會改為網上舉行，其中亞洲金融論壇會於明年1月18日至19日在網上舉行。
貿易展覽結合虛擬實體
貿發局表示，香港中小企平均約四成訂單來自展會，本地貿易展覽方面，由於明年上半年實體展覽仍難以舉行，將對中小企造成很大的影響，故貿發局即時變陣，推出全新「國際採購匯」，集合7項原定於春季舉行的貿易展覽，包括香港玩具展、香港嬰兒用品展、香港國際家用紡織品展及香港時裝節等，以「網上加實體」的模式，於明年3月至7月期間舉行。
該局指出，「國際採購匯」是首次因應疫情推出的「網上加實體」展覽模式，讓買賣雙方在疫情仍未消退下，提早於明年3月利用專屬網上展覽平台進行商貿配對和遙距視像洽談，待疫情緩和後，再透過於7月舉辦的實體展覽。至於原定於2021年3月舉行的香港國際珠寶展和香港國際鑽石、寶石及珍珠展，將延至明年7月2日至6日在亞洲國際博覽館舉行。
美食博覽延至下半年
公眾展覽方面，由於近期疫情反覆，基於市民及展商的安全為首要考慮，原定於明年1月底至2月初舉行的美食博覽以及3項同期公眾活動，將延至明年下半年舉行，而香港書展及香港運動消閒博覽將於明年7月舉行。貿發局表示，明白現階段仍有不明朗因素，未來會繼續密切注意疫情發展，如在籌備期間有任何變動，會適時通知各持份者。
資料來源：信報財經 (2020年12月23日)
8、These 6 Retailers Landed on S&P’s Financial Risk List
Five fashion and one home retailer made S&P’s Market Intelligence’s December watchlist of retailers at risk.
The fashion companies span Christopher & Banks, which just warned it might go bankrupt, in addition to J. Jill, DXL, Express and Vince. The lone home retailer is decorating specialist Wayfair.
Women’s budget fashion chain Francesca’s was removed from the September watch list because it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 3, with plans to attract a buyer.
S&P bases the vulnerability list on an analysis of default scores across retail categories ranging from household and personal products to consumer durables and apparel. Using a one-year probability-of-default score, Christopher & Banks ranks the highest among the six fashion and home retailers with a score of 24.5 percent. The company on Monday said in a quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it might have to file for bankruptcy court protection because it’s running out of cash to meet financial obligations And if it can’t obtain a waiver from lenders or amend the terms of its credit facility, Christopher & Banks would be in default.
Just behind Christopher & Banks was J. Jill, with a score of 22.5. Known for its soft-structured knits and layering options, the women’s specialty chain at the end of September finally completed an out-of-court financial restructuring after five forbearance extensions. That restructuring saw $15 million in new capital and the maturity of certain of its term loan debt extended to May 2024. But in its third quarter report after the financial restructuring, the company said net sales fell 29.4 percent to $117.2 million. Net losses totaled $23.2 million for the quarter, versus net income of $2.4 million a year ago.
Meanwhile, DXL, the men’s big and tall apparel chain, garnered a default probability score of 19.1. On Friday, the men’s retailer said it “continues to believe a path for recovery for fiscal year 2021 is in view given its actions and performance to ate from the Covid-19 pandemic.” CEO Harvey Kanter said the company has taken steps to manage inventory, restructure occupancy costs and reduce its selling, general and administrative costs. But he also said, “Year-to-date through November, our DXL.com sales were up 41 percent over fiscal 2019 levels, and we expect the growth trend in this channel to continue in fiscal 2021. We also expect our stores to continue their trend of being down compared to fiscal 2019 levels.”
Express, Wayfair and Vince earned probability-of-default scores in the teens.
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (18 Dec 2020)
9、Intertextile Shanghai to Continue With Hybrid Event Model in March
While the pandemic forced trade shows around the world to move to digital or cancel, Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics was able to welcome in-person visitors in September.
The event showcased nearly 3,400 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions and attracted more than 73,500 visitors, organizer Messe Frankfurt said. The fair also adopted a virtual component for those who could not attend in person, with more than 240 virtual meetings taking place over the fall show’s three-day span.
Following what Messe Frankfurt described as the “successful conclusion” of this autumn event, the fair will return in March, duplicating the September show’s hybrid model. Running from March 10-12, the spring edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics will take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.
“With travel restrictions still in effect in many countries and regions, digital solutions and the hybrid format of the fair are essential to facilitate suppliers and buyers in their sourcing process,” Wendy Wen, senior general manager of Messe Frankfurt, said in a statement. “We look forward to international exhibitors joining us via the onsite or online formats, allowing them to take advantage of the opportunities offered by China’s recovering textile market.”
The fall event’s Hybrid Showcase will return for those exhibitors who cannot travel to China. “Hybrid exhibitors” will again be able to display their products for onsite buyers to touch and feel, with audiovisual equipment provided to help present their company. Instant messaging and video calling functions on the Intertextile mobile app will enable connections with onsite and online buyers. Additionally, the fair’s online business matching tool, Connect Plus, will be accessible before, during and after the fair.
James Nam, president of South Korea’s NK Fabric, said his company did not travel to the fair due to Covid-19, but instead used the Hybrid Showcase to display some of its most popular products. “We gained around 40 new contacts—some of them are our target customers and we started talking with them via emails after the fair,” he said in a statement. “As this was the first time we joined a hybrid format trade fair, we didn’t expect so much and we are satisfied with the results.”
The show will feature country and region pavilions from Japan, Korea and Taiwan, as well as dedicated product zones, such as Accessories Vision, All About Sustainability, Beyond Denim, Digital Printing Zone, Functional Lab, Premium Wool Zone, SalonEurope and Verve for Design. The event will host seminars, panel discussions and product presentations about the latest industry trends and post-pandemic textile markets in China and around the world.
Messe Frankfurt’s decision to push ahead with the March event comes amid high Chinese consumer confidence. According to a survey McKinsey & Co. conducted in September, net optimism regarding post-Covid economic conditions stood at 54 percent in China. The United States posted net optimism of 22 percent, while Australia, Italy, the U.K. and Japan all reported being more pessimistic than optimistic.
The National Exhibition and Convention Center will host four other textile fairs during Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics’s three-day run: Messe Frankfurt’s spring edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles and Yarn Expo Spring; the China International Fashion Fair (CHIC); and PH Value.
Along with Messe Frankfurt, the China Textile Information Centre and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT are helping co-organize the spring edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics.
Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is not the only trade show to forge ahead with in-person events after seeing success this fall. A coalition of Italian trade shows enticed more than 16,000 fashion insiders to attend its four-day, co-located event in Milan in September. Satisfied with the results they saw, those same five groups are planning to hold a second “#strongertogether” event in March.
In the United States, Informa Markets Fashion—the organizer behind Magic, Coterie, Project, Micam Americas and Sourcing at Magic—will host its first Magic Pop Up Orlando in early February. The women’s and men’s apparel, accessories and footwear event will co-locate its inaugural run with two other fashion trade shows: Clarion Events’ Womenswear in Nevada and Tarsus Group’s Offprice.
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (18 Dec 2020)
10、Wheeling and Dealing Surrounds Topshop Owner Arcadia Group
A deal-making frenzy is starting to swirl around Topshop owner Arcadia Group.
The bankrupt fashion empire owned by billionaire business mogul Sir Philip Green has sold Evans, which specializes in women’s apparel in U.K. sizes 14-32, to global omnichannel retailer City Chic Collective for 23 million pounds ($30.6 million), strengthening the latter’s position in the plus-size fashion arena.
City Chic sells apparel, footwear and accessories under brand names including City Chic, CCX, intimates label Hips & Curves, lingerie specialist Fox & Royal, and value-focused Avenue, which it acquired in October of last year for $16.5 million following an August Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition. City Chic had hoped to acquire bankrupt Ascena’s Catherines banner, but was outbid by Fullbeauty Brands.
The purchase, expected to closed on Wednesday, includes the brand and intellectual property, customer base and inventory for Evans, which attracted 19 million website visits, generated approximately 23 million pounds ($30.6 million) in sales, and drove approximately 3 million pounds (about $4 million) in wholesale business for the financial year through August, said Deloitte, Arcadia’s administrators.
Deloitte added that the “process to secure new owners for the other Arcadia Group brands is ongoing” and has drawn “significant expressions of interest for all brands.”
Arcadia Group, which collapsed into administration on Nov. 30, is also seeking suitors for the Topshop and Topman franchise, considered the crown jewel in its portfolio, and other brands, including Miss Selfridge, Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Wallis. It’s also possible that a buyer could take Arcadia as a whole, minus newly sold Evans whose stores—which weren’t part of the City Chic deal.
New to the potential list of bidders is Next, which this summer joined forces with Victoria’s Secret parent L Brands for a venture taking a majority 51 percent stake in Victoria’s Secret U.K., which fell into administration in June.
Sky News first reported that Next has been in talks with U.S. investment firm Davidson Kempner as a potential partner. The investment firm has also been recently linked to Philip Day as a potential investor to save bankrupt value department store chain Peacocks.
Also said to be interested in parts of Arcadia is Frasers Group’s Mike Ashley. He’s trying to effect a last-minute save of insolvent department store chain Debenhams, which is slated to complete its liquidation in March. Ashley is believed to be interested in Dorothy Perkins, which is Debenhams’ largest concession operator. And across the pond, brand management firm Authentic Brands Group has indicated interest in Arcadia and Debenhams as well. While ABG chairman and CEO Jamie Salter has declined comment, a source familiar with talks at the Debenhams and Arcadia insolvencies confirmed last week to SJ that it has been in discussion with the administrators overseeing both bankruptcies.
Others interested in Arcadia include online market platform Boohoo and retailer Marks & Spencer. Initial bids for Arcadia were expected Monday, although the bidding deadline could be extended.
Deloitte expects “to provide a further update in the new year.”
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (21 Dec 2020)
11、Jordan’s Apparel Sector to Hire 12,000 Bangladeshi Workers
Bangladeshi garment workers whose livelihoods have been compromised due to this year’s supply-chain shutdowns may soon see new opportunities take shape abroad.
Jordanian apparel factories are poised to take on 12,000 new workers from Bangladesh over the course of 2021, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen told U.K. outlet The Daily Star last week. The recruitment effort will be processed through state-owned recruiting agency Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Ltd. (BOESL)—and that the organization will also be taking on the travel costs associated with worker relocation.
Approximately 90,000 Bangladeshis currently work in Jordan—and well over half are employed in the apparel sector, Saudi Arabia’s Arab News reported. According to insights from the Bangladeshi Embassy, 53,000 citizens of Bangladesh work in Jordanian garment factories.
Nahid Sobhan, Bangladesh’s ambassador to Jordan, told Arab News that the effort would be fully funded and driven by the private sector, adding that “several factories are interested in bringing Bangladeshi skilled workforces into the country.” Those factories are required to have government clearance for their new workforces, and that authorization has recently come through.
The first wave of workers from Bangladesh will be able to enter Jordan as soon as a Jordanian delegation visits the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka to finalize the process, she said Saturday, adding that the meeting is expected to take place “soon.”
Sobhan told the outlet that she had been working with Jordan’s industry stakeholders in recent months to drum up opportunities for Bangladeshi workers, many of whom lost their jobs due to Covid-related supply chain disruptions. Fashion brands and retailers across the globe frantically canceled garment orders from their suppliers this spring as consumers fretted over the state of the economy and pulled back on spending. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) estimated that the country would see an “irrecoverable loss” of $5 billion by the end of 2020.
London’s Business & Human Rights Resource Centre conducted a survey of 34 fashion brands this fall, asking them to respond to questions about garment workers’ rights during the pandemic. Twenty-nine respondents said they had recorded profits since the Covid crisis began, and of that cohort, nine still declined to commit to paying for their full orders.
“Job opportunities have been reduced during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic,” Sobhan said. “In this context, recently I started engaging with both the private sector and the government in Jordan for opening new recruitments.”
“These new jobs are the outcome of those efforts and certainly we shall continue our work to explore more avenues,” she added.
There’s other evidence that the country’s embattled apparel supply chain could see bright spots in the coming months. In August, China reduced tariffs on nearly all products from Bangladesh, opening up new opportunities for apparel imports.
At October’s Indo-Pacific Business Forum, hosted by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding by American industry stakeholders to provide relief to female workers in Bangladesh and other regions.
Retailers like Gap Inc., Carter’s, Global Brands Group, Levi Strauss & Co., Nike, Tapestry, Target, VF Corp. and Walmart, along with trade associations including the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), the National Retail Federation (NRF), the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the U.S. Fashion Industry Association, agreed to collaborate with local organizations to build resilience across supply chains, protect the rights and welfare of workers and empower women over the course of the coming year.
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (22 Dec 2020)
12、Xinjiang Sourcing ‘Banned,’ Fair Labor Association Says
The Fair Labor Association (FLA) is prohibiting the sourcing and production of goods, whether directly or indirectly, from Xinjiang in northwestern China.
The move is a first for the multi-stakeholder initiative, whose affiliates include Adidas, Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing, Gildan, Hanesbrands, Lululemon, Nike, Patagonia and Under Armour.
“In its 20-year history, the FLA has never told companies a specific country or region was banned for sourcing because there have always been ways to address labor issues through effective due diligence,” the organization said in a statement Wednesday. “The situation in Xinjiang presents unique human rights and labor violations that defy conventional due diligence norms.”
Evidence of forced labor and other human-rights abuses has been nothing short of overwhelming. The Chinese government is believed to hold at least 1.8 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in internment camps and prisons as part of a broader campaign of coercion, torture and indoctrination. Last week, the Center for Global Policy, a Washington, D.C., think tank, published research indicating that more than half a million minority workers are being forced to pick cotton by hand through a state-sponsored labor transfer and “poverty alleviation” scheme. Several leading audit firms have also fled the region, citing their inability to conduct a satisfactory review because of the climate of fear and hostility.
When reports of Uyghur repression first emerged, the FLA cautioned its affiliates to conduct additional due diligence to ferret out potential instances of forced labor in Xinjiang. In January, it updated that advice, noting that effective due diligence was no longer possible in the region and warning affiliates to presume any raw materials and semi-finished and finished goods from Xinijang are “likely to be produced with forced labor.”
“We also cautioned that companies should presume there is forced labor when workers are recruited or deployed through government labor agencies in factories throughout China,” the FLA said, referring to a labor transfer scheme that experts say has moved some 80,000 Uyghurs out of Xinjiang and into factories across China between 2017 and 2019, often against their will.
In March, the FLA’s board of directors urged the Chinese government to end its assault on Uyghur rights. It also asked its affiliates to review their sourcing relationships in Xinjiang, identify alternative sourcing opportunities and develop time-bound plans to “ensure that their sourcing is in line with the FLA’s principles” of improving worker conditions worldwide.
“Since the FLA issued that statement nine months ago, evidence from a range of credible sources, including governments and independent researchers, continues to mount, indicating that the Chinese government is expanding its policy of repression,” the organization said. “The evidence shows that Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities remain subject to horrendous, ongoing human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention and forced labor. Significantly, more than 100 international civil society organizations have joined forces in a call to action to stop forced labor in Xinjiang, an effort we believe is helpful in seeking to address these systemic rights abuses.”
Sourcing products from Xinjiang—and indeed China at large—is becoming increasingly challenged. In early December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a new Withhold Release Order (WRO) on cotton goods from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a paramilitary organization that produces one-third of China’s cotton, employs 12 percent of Xinjiang’s population and generates 17 percent of the region’s gross domestic product. Because of the scope of the XPCC, the order is “almost akin to a regional WRO,” CBP acting commissioner Mark A. Morgan said at the time.
The WRO lent greater heft to the Treasury Department’s July decision to place the XPCC on its sanctions list, prohibiting all American companies and citizens—or non-American companies and citizens subject to U.S. jurisdiction—from engaging with the organization, whether directly or indirectly.
More legislation is coming down the pipeline, the most significant of which is the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which passed in the House of Representatives by a margin of 406 to 3 in September and is now awaiting Senate action.
Xinjiang produces 85 percent of China’s cotton, which in turn accounted for more than 22 percent of the world’s supply in fiscal year 2019. The End Uyghur Forced Labour coalition estimates that one in five cotton garments sold globally contains fiber or yarn sourced from Xinjiang, meaning that “virtually” the entire apparel industry is tainted by Uyghur abuses.
“In the last two years, we have provided resources to FLA affiliates to facilitate the tracing of supply chains, conducted training on detecting forced labor, and bolstered our principles and benchmarks to ensure that our affiliates have tools to respond to this human rights crisis,” the FLA said. “We will continue to support our affiliates in their efforts to address the complex challenges presented by the Chinese government’s state-imposed forced labor in Xinjiang, and throughout China.”
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (23 Dec 2020)