Edited by Zhao Xinhua

In the first half of 2023, China’s textile and apparel specialized market withstood the huge pressure of insufficient domestic demand, industrial depression and weak consumption recovery, and adhered to stable scale, adjusted structure,and improved quality and efficiency.In the first half of 2023,the total turnover of 44 textile and apparel specialized markets(including market clusters) monitored by the China Commercial Circulation Association of Textile and Apparel (CATA) reached 677.078 billion yuan, an increase of 22.76%, and the specialized market achieved a recovery growth in turnover.

Overall operation

In the first half of 2023, the total turnover of 44 textile and apparel specialized markets (including market clusters)monitored by CATA reached 677.078 billion yuan, an increase of 22.76%.Among them, the turnover of 37 markets increased year-on-year, accounting for 98.01% of the total turnover, with an average increase of 23.84%; the turnover of seven markets decreased year-on-year, accounting for 1.99% of the total turnover, with an average decline of 14.30%.

Market operation efficiency analysis

From the perspective of market operation efficiency, the average operating efficiency (annualized) of the 44 textile and apparel specialized markets monitored in the first half of 2023 was 60,285.11 yuan/square meter, an increase of 21.39%;the average shop efficiency (annualized) was 4.6647 million yuan/shop, an increase of 22.77%.In the first half of 2023, the market as a whole picked up, business hours were stable, passenger flow rebounded, the opening rate increased, the vacancy rate decreased, and the market operation efficiency and shop efficiency both achieved a rebound of more than 20%.

Market regional structure analysis

From the perspective of regional structure, among the 44 key monitoring markets, the turnover of the specialized market in the eastern region was 598.383 billion yuan,accounting for 88.38% of the total turnover of the specialized market.The eastern region is the leading region in China’s textile and apparel industry, achieving a steady growth of 21.73%; the turnover of the specialized market in the central region was 53.085 billion yuan, an increase of 25.42%, accounting for 7.84% of the total turnover of the specialized market; the turnover of the specialized market in the western region was 25.61 billion yuan, accounting for 3.78% of the total turnover of the specialized market.The turnover of the specialized market in the western region had fallen most significantly under the influence of the pandemic, and also achieved the most significant recovery in this period, with an increase of 44.81%.

Table 1 Regional turnover analysis of 44 key monitored markets

Analysis of circulation hierarchy

From the perspective of circulation level, the 44 key monitoring market units include 26 origin based specialized markets and 18 sales oriented specialized markets.In the first half of 2023, the turnover of 26 origin based specialized markets reached 606.492 billion yuan, accounting for 89.57% of the total turnover, an increase of 21.73%; the turnover of 18 sales oriented specialized markets was 70.586 billion yuan, accounting for 10.43%of the total turnover, an increase of 32.38%.The origin based specialized markets (clusters) has relatively strong risk resistance and industrial innovation ability, while the sales oriented specialized markets have been seriously affected by the pandemic before, and the turnover has declined significantly, and it has achieved a strong recovery in the first half of 2023, and the growth rate is higher than that of the origin based specialized markets.

Data analysis

Since the pandemic, domestic consumption has been weak.From the perspective of the clothing industry, the consumption demand structure of Chinese consumers for clothing has gradually been graded, and mass brand clothing has become the new increment of residents’ clothing consumption.The product positioning of the textile and apparel specialized market has accurately matched this new increment of domestic demand and catered to the new demand of the largest consumer group in China.In the context of the sinking of some consumer demand and the great release of county and town consumption, it has gained new space for development.

In order to more accurately grasp the new demand for consumption, specialized markets around the country have vigorously improved the level of operation service,and actively empowered merchants through a series of actions such as market innovation and upgrading, integrated development, and communication and matching,achieving a steady recovery of industrial circulation.

Innovation and upgrading

China’s textile and apparel specialized market promotes operation management innovation and upgrading,and increases efforts to empower merchants.The specialized market vigorously introduces high-quality design resources, improves the original design level of market brands, and then improves the overall competitiveness of specialized market products; the specialized market increases the investment in hardware upgrading, improves the business environment, and creates a fashion shopping space; the specialized market actively plans the market,focuses on the development of characteristic categories that meet the new demand of consumption, realizes the effect of resource agglomeration, and vigorously cultivates high-quality public brands.

Integrated development

The textile and apparel specialized market actively promotes the integration of online and offline development, develops live sales, ecommerce supply, etc., and realizes the diversification of specialized market sales channels,and creates a new platform for the integrated development of “e-commerce + business”.

The textile and apparel specialized market actively promotes the integrated development of domestic and foreign trade, takes the layout of overseas markets and the expansion of international channels as the new growth point of market turnover, and the market procurement trade pilot has performed brilliantly.

Communication and matching

In the first half of 2023, various textile and apparel industry clusters and specialized markets held various exhibitions, shopping day,industry exchanges and other activities to stimulate the vitality of the industry, boost industry confidence, and also play a role in increasing turnover.

Future outlook

Since the beginning of this year, China’s textile and apparel specialized markets have achieved recovery growth, but overall, the domestic economic operation is still facing many challenges, and the industry operation pressure is still huge.China has introduced a series of policy measures.As an important part of the private economy, the textile and apparel specialized market provides specialized management and precise service; we should practice the three-product strategy, vigorously promote the matching of resources, actively expand sales channels at home and abroad, increase investment in digital construction, and make specialized market contributions to the recovery of the national economy and stimulate the domestic market.