Made-in-China fashion becomes so last season for local retailers
SA's apparel makers have geared up to help shops meet fast-changing tastes of consumers
Demanding customers and intense competition from international chains have forced South African retailers to become more agile - with a resulting boost for local manufacturers. Etienne Vlok, director of the South African Clothing and Textile Workers Union, said the custom of South African retailers buying their goods from China and other Asian countries was changing. "The factory-gate price was cheaper there, but then they did not factor in the cost to the environment of importing these goods, the additional costs of the long lead times, including when replenishing stock," he said. Other issues were the financing of overseas buying operations and addressing quality or other problems with suppliers thousands of kilometres away. Vlok said local retailers suffered because their "Made in China" business model meant they could not respond quickly to changing consumer trends, unlike their international competitors who could change stock almost every two weeks. So South African retailers h...
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