Apparel and fabric imports by Germany will decrease in the coming months

With the number of new pandemic cases rising again in EU, and the lockdown in some region, apparel and fabric imports by Germany are expected to decrease in the coming months. Trade within EU member states is also affected, as most of them (such as France and Italy) are also subject to lockdown restrictions.

In 2019, the total German apparel and fabric imports value amounted to 40.69 billion USD, with an average of 3.39 billion USD per month. In 2020, the import value dropped by 4.36% to 38.92 billion USD, mainly due to the impact of the pandemic.

According to the statistics of fibre2fashion, the monthly average import value is expected to drop by 1.95% to 3.18 billion USD from January to June 6, 2021, and 3.24 billion USD per month in 2020. This is mainly due to the lockdown of most EU member states, including Germany, in the first half of 2021, and the closure of apparel and fabric stores.

In 2020, German apparel and fabric imports rose from September. In the second half of 2020, China and Turkey were the main exporters of German apparel and home textiles respectively.

Subsequently, the German retail industry was seriously affected by the second and third outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. Many retail stores have closed since December 16, 2020. A top Swedish retailer closed 20% of its stores across Europe in the first quarter of 2021, also because of the epidemic lockdown.

In addition, Myanmar is one of Germany's major apparel exporters, but due to the volatile situation in the country, failed to fulfill orders.

Throughout Europe, many countries or regions, including Germany, continue to implement lockdown restrictions. The reopening date of German retail stores has not yet been announced.