UK's clothing imports down 25% to £1.24 bn in July 2023

Imports of textile fabric in July 2023 declined by 12.17 per cent to £476 million, compared to £542 million in July 2022. There was also a month-on-month decrease from the £498 million recorded in June 2023. Meanwhile, the UK's fibre imports were £34 million in July 2023, a decrease from both July 2022 (£47 million) and June 2023 (£36 million). 

UK’s imports of clothing 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 £293 million in July 2023, slightly up from the £288 million in July 2022. The figure for June 2023 was £308 million. During the first half of 2023, the exports of clothing totalled £1.836 billion. For 2022, 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)