Summer sales “save” textile sector

Serious concerns in Catalonia’s textile sector have been partly allayed thanks to the opening of this year’s summer sales. Traditionally the community with highest sales in textiles, in 2016 Catalonia counted for 17.66% of all sales in Spain. In 2017, this fell to 15.84%, dropping three slots in the sales ranking and hopes for a turnaround in the spring season fell well short of expectations. However, July has started well for the sector and those retail outlets which began their sales season earlier this years have reported a return to 2016 levels. Industry experts point to many factors which may influence the downturn. The slower start to spring this year has put people off purchasing summer clothing and retailers also say they feel the impact of illegal street vendors as direct competition. A major factor which is beyond argument is the change in customer purchasing habits bought about by e-commerce.