Supply Chain Research

Levi Strauss cuts straight through logistics challenges, hikes prices

April 9, 2021

Levi Strauss reported FQ1’22 (to Feb. 28) revenues which fell by 13.3% year over year due to pandemic-related store closures. Analysts had expected revenues to drop by 17.3% while Panjiva’s data shows U.S. seaborne imports linked to the firm declined by 6.9% over the same period. The firm may ... Read more →

Suez blockage removed, supply chain effects could last for months

March 29, 2021

The Ever Given, which has blocked the Suez Canal since March 23, has been partially refloated. After tests and transit to the Great Bitter Lake the canal should be able to reopen. Estimates of the time taken to clear the backlog of around 370 vessels vary with Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk indicating... Read more →

Athleisure, Pakistan the winners as apparel trade loses ground

February 22, 2021

The apparel industry has been left behind in the recent recovery in U.S. retail sales. This report looks at recent trends in categories and supply chains underpinning that setback. U.S. seaborne imports of apparel, footwear and textiles fell by 1.6% year over year in January after rising by 9.... Read more →

Sri Lanka’s port politics limits Japanese autos opportunity

February 3, 2021

The Sri Lankan government has reviewed a plan to co-invest with partners in India, including Adani, and Japan to develop the East Container Terminal in Colombo after union pressure. Port investments in the region have a geopolitical as well as economic perspective, particularly with regards to... Read more →

Brandix COVID-19 investigation raises supply chain questions for PVH, H&M

November 10, 2020

Apparel manufacturer Brandix has come under investigation by Sri Lanka’s Attorney General who has stated a report will be issued by Nov. 13 into whether there has been “negligence on the part of Brandix resulting in the spread” of COVID-19 at a factory in Gampaha. Worker safety has become a ke... Read more →

Tanks not suits, throws not sweaters – Q3’20 apparel scorecard

October 8, 2020

The apparel and textiles industry appears to be emerging from the worst of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Total U.S. seaborne imports of apparel, footwear and textiles increased by 0.8% year over year in September, the first increase in a year. Yet, shipments of apparel and footwear wer... Read more →

Brexit Watch: No-deal risk rises; Gap, Primark may have choices to make

September 10, 2020

The U.K. government’s new Internal Markets Bill is needed to ensure continued trade between the four countries of the United Kingdom after current trading rules with the EU end. It also brings an unwelcome complication of allowing the government to deviate from the Northern Ireland Protocol in... Read more →

PVH, H&M cut imports as Bangladeshi apparel faces COVID-19 demand drop

June 10, 2020

Bangladesh’s apparel industry has faced significant challenges due to cancelled orders from retailers across Europe and the Americas during COVID-19. That resulted in manufacturing output falling by 55.6% in May according to industry associate BGMEA. U.S. seaborne imports of apparel from Bangl... Read more →

Kicking Away The Development Ladder – The Trade War’s Long Term Impact

June 19, 2019

The U.S.-China trade war is accelerating a shift in supply chains across Asia that could work to the long term advantage of countries that are already working their way up the development ladder and potentially locking out those that are further behind. Vietnam is well ahead of the curve with ... Read more →

Hapag-Lloyd Fire Expands List of Supply Chain Challenges in Early 2019

January 8, 2019

Hapag-Lloyd has had to evacuate crew from the Yantian Express following an uncontrolled fire on the vessel. The fire follows a series of operational challenges faced by Mitsui OSK, MSC and Maersk at the start of 2019, underscoring the vulnerability of global supply chains to vessel disruptions... Read more →

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