In November, China's garment production steadily recovered, domestic sales continued to improve, exports maintained rapid growth, and corporate profit growth accelerated significantly. The industry as a whole continued its steady recovery, showing characteristics such as continuous deepening of industry transformation and innovation, accelerated digital empowerment, and the rise of domestic brands promoting brand upgrades. However, the external environment facing the industry is becoming more complex and severe. Factors such as the epidemic have had a certain impact on the continuous recovery of domestic and foreign market demand, raw material prices remain high, and the pressure on rising corporate costs remains relatively large. The foundation for the stable and healthy operation of the industry still needs further consolidation.
Steady Recovery of Garment Production
In November, driven by factors such as the warming market demand, active preparation for the two festivals' promotions and the overseas Christmas season, garment production steadily recovered, and the growth rate returned to normal. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, from January to November 2021, the industrial added value of large-scale enterprises in China's garment industry increased by 8.9% year-on-year, an increase of 18.5 percentage points over the same period of the previous year, and a two-year average decrease of 0.8% (based on the corresponding figures for the same period in 2019, calculated using the geometric average method, the same below); large-scale enterprises completed a garment output of 21.294 billion pieces, an increase of 8.53% year-on-year, an increase of 17.28 percentage points over the same period of the previous year, and a two-year average decrease of 0.5%, equivalent to recovering to 99% of the garment output in the same period of 2019. From the perspective of the output of major garment categories, benefiting from export-driven growth, knitted garment production maintained rapid growth, with an increase of 12.37%, a two-year average growth of 2.6%, while woven garment production increased by 3.18% year-on-year, and a two-year average decrease of 4.6%.
Steady Improvement in the Domestic Market
In November, driven by the "Double Eleven" shopping festival, domestic market garment sales steadily improved, the year-on-year decline in the retail sales of clothing commodities above the designated size continued to narrow, and online consumer demand continued to be released. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, from January to November 2021, the cumulative retail sales of clothing commodities above the designated size in China reached 890.61 billion yuan, an increase of 16.4% year-on-year, and a two-year average growth of 2.7%; in November, the retail sales of clothing commodities above the designated size decreased by 1.2% year-on-year, a decrease of 1.6 percentage points compared to the previous month. During the same period, the online retail sales of clothing commodities increased by 11.1% year-on-year, an increase of 5.2 percentage points over the same period of the previous year, and a two-year average growth of 8.5%.
Exports Maintain Rapid Growth
In November, driven by the continued increase in international market demand and preparations for Christmas promotions, China's garment exports continued their significant growth, with a year-on-year increase of 23.2% in monthly exports. According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, from January to November 2021, China's cumulative exports of garments and clothing accessories reached US$154.35 billion, an increase of 25.1% year-on-year, and a two-year average growth of 7.7%, with the two-year average growth rate increasing by 0.7 percentage points compared to January-October. Among them, exports of knitted garments and clothing accessories showed strong growth, with exports reaching US$78.214 billion, an increase of 39.88% year-on-year, and a two-year average growth of 9.5%; exports of woven garments and clothing accessories maintained stable growth, reaching US$63.382 billion, an increase of 12.28% year-on-year, and a two-year average growth of 2.57%.