The past Winter was not a good time for the fashion trade in the German shopping streets. According to the regular industry surveys of the journal "textile industry" were the sales of the classic fashion trade since October, month-to-month, significantly below the previous year's level. But everything could be worse. The trade fears that the corona virus crisis is a wave of insolvencies in the textile-, Shoe - and leather goods could trigger trade.

The trade associations textile (BTE), shoes (BDSE) and leather (BLE) warned this week against the risk of a Federal demand-wide slump due to the Coronavirus, and called the danger of a "closure shaft, especially in stationary fashion trade". They called for rapid and non-bureaucratic assistance from the state. Finally, the impact of the crisis for the textile trade in particular from the Virus-affected areas such as the district of Heinsberg today existence-threatening. "In the district of Heinsberg, a drop in sales of 50 to 70 percent are currently on the agenda," complained Rolf Pangels, the managing Director of BTE.

spring collection to sell in the summer, hardly

The rule are not such a drop in sales so far, but I guess not. According to the Figures of the measurement of customer frequencies in the inner cities, a company specialized Hystreet many shopping streets in Germany were visited on last Saturday even above average. "Here, the good weather was probably a more influential factor than the fear of the Coronavirus," said Hystreet-managing Director Nico Schroeder. The trade expert limited, however, at the same time, the number of passers-by say of course nothing about the purchasing willingness of customers to this day.

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The fashion industry is afraid of at least a temporary change in buying attitude of the customers. Finally, the trade could pants or shoes from the spring collection, in the summer, hardly sell, and if, then only with considerable price reductions. "We have been in the fashion trade is still the experience of a lost consumer will not be rescheduled," describes BTE-President Steffen Jost, the Dilemma faced by the fashion retailers.

China is by far the most important country in

delivery is not only a lack of customers threaten to be a Problem in the industry. Also, missing or delayed deliveries may lead to considerable difficulties. Finally, it came and it comes in China by the Virus to production problems. And China is, according to the Figures of the Federal Statistical office for Germany, by far the most important supplier country for fashion. Measured by the import value is around a quarter of the fashion imports come from there. Also, products from Vietnam and Bangladesh are often produced with precursors from the people's Republic.

According to a survey conducted by the fashion Association GermanFashion, more than half of the Association together in a closed fashion manufacturers expect delays in delivery. A third of cancellations in Parts of the production. Although the President of the fashion Association, Gerd Oliver Seidensticker believes that the customer will notice, in view of the existing Oversupply of anything. But that does not mean that the dealer can get away with it. What doesn't matter, after all, can not be sold and the revenue is missing at the end of the checkout. In addition, the handle of the axe appears to be inevitable, if parts of the summer should roll collection with a month-long delay.

fashion trade is not a "core risk industry,"

however, There are also voices that warn of a Überdramatisierung. The Chairman of the insolvency practitioners Association of VID, Christoph Niering, stressed in an interview with the "textile business" that belong to the fashion trade, with regards to the Coronavirus, not to the "core risk industries" such as tourism or the trade fair industry. But, he acknowledged, an occasion for the all-clear was, of course. "The fashion industry has anyway to fight. There is also a slight downturn can be problematic.“

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