EU MARKET SURVEY 2003 EU MARKET SURVEY 2003 BODYWEAR BODYWEAR Mailing address: P.O. Box 30009, 3001 DA Rotterdam, The Netherlands Phone: +31 10 201 34 34 Fax: +31 10 411 40 81 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.cbi.nl CENTRE FOR THE PROMOTION OF IMPORTS FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Office: WTC-Beursbuilding, 5th floor 37 Beursplein, Rotterdam, The Netherlands EU MARKET SURVEY 2003 BODYWEAR Compiled for CBI by: Drs. Jan P. Servaas May 2003 DISCLAIMER The information provided in this market survey is believed to be accurate at the time of writing. It is, however, passed on to the reader without any responsibility on the part of CBI or the authors and it does not release the reader from the obligation to comply with all applicable legislation. Neither CBI nor the authors of this publication make any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy of the information presented, and will not be liable for injury or claims pertaining to the use of this publication or the information contained therein. No obligation is assumed for updating or amending this publication for any reason, be it new or contrary information or changes in legislation, regulations or jurisdiction. New CBI publication with updated contents replacing CBI’s EU Market Survey 2002 ‘Bodywear’ and CBI’s EU Strategic Marketing Guide 2002 ‘Bodywear’ (published in January 2002). Photo courtesy: Hunnink & van den Broek CONTENTS REPORT SUMMARY 7 INTRODUCTION 10 PART A: EU MARKET INFORMATION 1 PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS 15 1.1 Product groups 15 1.2 Customs/statistical product classification 16 2 INTRODUCTION TO THE EU MARKET 18 3 CONSUMPTION OF BODYWEAR 20 3.1 Market size 20 3.2 Market segmentation 27 3.3 Consumption patterns and trends 30 4 PRODUCTION 32 4.1 Production of bodywear in the EU 32 4.2 Delocalisation of clothing production 33 5 IMPORTS OF BODYWEAR 35 5.1 Total EU imports 35 5.2 Imports by product group 45 5.3 The role of developing countries 49 6 EXPORTS OF BODYWEAR 51 7 TRADE STRUCTURE 54 7.1 EU trade channels 54 7.1.1 Sales intermediaries 54 7.1.2 Retailers of bodywear 55 7.1.3 Buying policy of intermediaries 63 7.2 Distribution channels for developing country exporters 63 8 OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRY EXPORTERS 65 PART B: MARKET ACCESS REQUIREMENTS 9 DOING BUSINESS WITH THE EU: REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESS 69 9.1 Non-tariff trade barriers 69 9.1.1 Quality and standards for bodywear 69 9.1.2 Trade-related environmental, social and health & safety issues 69 9.1.3 Packaging, size marking and labelling 70 9.2 Tariffs and quota 73 PART C: EXPORT MARKETING GUIDELINES: ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY 10 EXTERNAL ANALYSIS 81 10.1 Market developments and opportunities for bodywear 81 10.2 Competitive analysis 82 10.3 Sales channel assessment 82 10.4 Prices and margins 83 10.4.1 Trade margins and prices 83 10.4.2 Payment and delivery terms 85 10.5 Product profiles 85 5 11 INTERNAL ANALYSIS 93 11.1 Manufacturing 93 11.2 Logistics 94 11.3 Design 95 11.4 Marketing and sales 95 11.5 Financing 96 11.6 Capabilities 96 11.7 Recapitulation of the internal analysis 96 12 DECISION MAKING 98 13 MARKETING TOOLS 99 13.1 Matching products and the product range 99 13.2 Building up a relationship with a suitable trading partner 99 13.3 Drawing up an offer 100 13.4 Handling the contract 100 13.5 Sales organisation and promotion 101 APPENDICES 103 6 REPORT SUMMARY This EU Market Survey ‘Bodywear’ is intended to percent in 2002. Per capita spending on bodywear in the serve as a basis for further market research: after you EU amounted to € 80 in 2001. have read this survey it is important to further research Germany is the most important EU market (in absolute your target markets, sales channels and potential figures) for bodywear as well as in total clothing customers. consumption in the EU, however, the difference Market research depends on secondary data (data that compared to other major countries, like UK and Italy, have been compiled and published earlier) and primary has become much smaller. Four countries (Germany, data (information that you collect yourself). This EU UK, France and Italy) account for two thirds of EU Market Survey is an example of secondary data. bodywear consumption. Primary data are needed when secondary data fall short Belgian and Austrian consumers are the biggest of your needs, for example when researching your spenders per capita on bodywear in the EU. Looking at specific type of consumer about the acceptance of your the major EU countries, Italian and UK consumption specific product. Sources of information are among was the highest followed by France and Spain. German others (statistical) databanks, newspapers and and Netherlands consumption was less than the EU magazines, market reports, (annual) reports from average consumption of bodywear. branch associations, but also shops in target countries, Underwear is the leading sector of the bodywear market products or catalogues from your competitors, and in all markets surveyed. In the period under review, conversations with suppliers, specialists, colleagues and foundation wear and especially bras showed the biggest even competitors. After you have received/collected increase caused by popular types of underwired bras your information you should analyse it. In order to (push-up), while expenditure on briefs grew slightly, judge the attractiveness of the market, sales channel or despite the popularity among younger age groups of the customer you should use/develop a classification or string. After many years of decline, the hosiery market score system. levelled off encouraged among other factors by fashion For more detailed information on market research, developments on the outerwear market. Nightwear and reference is made to CBI’s Export Planner (2000) and homewear expenditure remained weak, while the CBI’s new manual on market research (2003). A fairly market for swimwear fluctuated, mainly caused by complete overview on packaging, environmental climatological influences. Share of bodywear in the aspects etc. is published in CBI’s AccessGuide. total value of clothing sales ranged from 11.9 percent in Seasonal fashion information can be obtained from Germany to 17.0 percent in Spain. CBI’s Fashion Forecasts. These sources of information are also available on the CBI web site. Production Production volume of bodywear in the EU decreased in Product groups the period 2000-2001 by 2 percent, while for 2002- The survey ‘Bodywear’ includes the following 2004, a further decrease is expected. Detailed figures segments: concerning production were not available at the time of Underwear: briefs or knickers, slips, bodies, teddies writing. and french knickers for women and girls; pants or Italy is the largest producer of knitted items accounting briefs, boxer shorts for men and, (under-) vests and T- for around 30 percent of EU production, followed by shirts for men and women; Germany, France, UK, Spain and Portugal. Foundation wear: bras, corselettes, corsets, girdles World wide, the bodywear industry is dominated by etc.; some big concerns, like the multinationals Sara Lee Nightwear: nightdresses, pyjamas and negligées for (with many daughter companies in the EU) and the women; nightshirts and pyjamas for men; Warnaco Group, both from the USA, and Triumph from Home wear or loungewear: dressing gowns, Switzerland. housecoats and bathrobes; Manufacturers of brand names met strong competition Swim- and beachwear: one and two-piece (bikinis) from retail chains with own private labels (like Marks bathing suits for women, and swimming trunks and & Spencer, Zara, Hennes & Mauritz, Etam, C&A etc.) bermudas for men; but also from (general) clothing brands (like Esprit, Hosiery: pantyhose, tights, stockings and, ankle- and Mexx, Ralph Lauren, Diesel etc.), fashion designer knee-length socks. brands (like Chanel, Gucci etc.) and from sport brands (Nike, Adidas, Fila etc.). Sara Lee has dominated the Consumption hosiery sector for many years. Most of the EU hosiery Consumption of bodywear in the EU showed a manufacturers operate on the underwear market and moderate growth of 1.5 percent on 2001 when it some of them on the swimwear market too. reached € 30.4 billion, followed by an estimated 1.0 There is a tendency in the whole bodywear sector 7 towards further concentration through many take-overs The growth in imports from developing countries in the and mergers. period 2000-2001 was limited to 5 percent, however The restructuring policy of many manufacturing this was much more favourable than developments in companies in the EU during the last two decades led to imports from other countries outside the EU (- 2.7%) relocation of the clothing production, mainly based on and intra-EU trade (-3.6%). Reasons for developments labour cost comparisons. The foreign policy of clothing mentioned were the weak consumer market for companies takes many forms; most of the largest bodywear, increasing competition on retail level and the companies entered into joint ventures in low-cost deflationary spiral of prices. countries or have built up their own factories abroad. Imports from Mediterranean countries (Morocco, Besides these forms of ownership structure, Turkey, Tunisia) grew more than the leading Asian subcontracting forms an important part of activities of suppliers (China, Bangladesh). the EU clothing industry. It is possible to identify three With regard to factors like cost levels and distances, the basic concepts of subcontracting: Outward Processing following competitive categories in bodywear can be Trade (OPT), Cut, Make and Trim (CMT) and Free on distinguished: Board (FOB). Another possibility for manufacturing Low-cost, long-distance countries: countries in the Far companies is sourcing abroad, mainly for additional East (China, Hong Kong and Macao) and South East products to their own product range.