The stationary textile trade in Germany is still a long way from returning to the sales level before the corona pandemic. In the first half of the year, the sales of boutiques and fashion houses were still 10 to 20 percent below the level of the pre-crisis year 2019, said Axel Augustin from the Textile Shoes Leather Goods Trade Association (BTE) in DĂĽsseldorf on Wednesday.
Augustin reported that the first half of the year was a roller coaster ride of emotions for the industry. After a weak start to the year, spring brought the industry high growth rates. In June, however, the war in Ukraine and the resulting price increases led to a significant setback.
However, the differences in the industry are large. The situation is comparatively good in medium-sized fashion houses and specialist shops, whose more well-off customers hardly or not at all suffer from the current price increases. However, the more a retailer’s customers have to keep their money together, the greater the risk that they will not buy clothing.
Augustin said the next few months and 2023 will be challenging times for retail. Because large parts of the expected cost increases, for example in the case of energy, have not yet reached customers.
According to the fashion association Germany GermanFashion, sales in the German clothing industry are still around 10 percent below the pre-crisis level. For outerwear, the minus is even 13 percent. (dpa)
