UK's clothing imports down 19 per cent to £1.48 bn in Aug 2023

Imports of textile fabric in August 2023 declined by 10.47 per cent to £436 million, compared to £587 million in August 2022. There was also a month-on-month decrease from the £468 million recorded in July 2023. Meanwhile, the UK's fibre imports were £34 million in August 2023, a decrease from both August 2022 (£40 million) and July 2023 (£35 million). 

UK’s clothing imports totalled £7.838 billion during the first half of 2023. The imports of fabric were noted at £2.886 billion, and textile fibres at £214 million in the period. 

In 2022, the country's total clothing imports were £21.255 billion ($27.06 billion), reflecting a 23.50 per cent growth compared to £17.034 billion in 2021. The imports of textile fabric and textile fibres for 2022 were £6.357 billion and £545 million, respectively. 

In terms of exports, the UK's clothing sector generated £335 million in August 2023, up from £300 million in August 2022. The figure for July 2023 was £293 million. During the first half of 2023, the exports of clothing totalled £1.836 billion. For 2022, clothing exports fell to £3.931 billion from the previous year's £4.263 billion. Exports of textile fabrics and fibres in 2022 were reported at £2.716 billion and £616 million, respectively. 

ALCHEMPro News Desk (KUL)