Turnover in clothes industry down again

Turnover in the Dutch clothes industry fell again in the first eight months of 2005: it was more than 4 percent lower than twelve months previously. Turnover in this sector of industry has been decreasing substantially for a number of years now. 

Turnover in clothes industry

Foreign turnover down sharply

In 2004 turnover was 41 percent lower than in 1966. In the period January-August 2005 turnover fell by another 4 percent compared to the first eight months of 2004. This decrease is mainly due to a substantial drop in turnover (-20 percent) on the international market. On a brighter note, in the same period domestic turnover was just over 3 percent higher than twelve months previously.

Import value of clothes

Sharp growth in imports from China

Imports of clothing rose substantially, by more than 28 percent in the period 1996 to 2004. In 2004 the Netherlands imported nearly 5.7 billion euro worth of clothes. Over the last eight years the imports from China rose particularly fast, by 268 percent to 781 million euro.  This brings the relative share of clothes in the total imports of goods from China to over 5 percent

Number of clothes manufacturers, 1 January

Fewer clothes manufacturers

The lacklustre production in the clothes industry and the increasing imports have resulted in a sharp reduction in the number of companies manufacturing clothes. This number fell by 41 percent from 1996 to 2005 to 1,275. More than 78 percent of these companies employ only one or two people.

Hans Draper