UK's clothing imports down 30 per cent to £1.44 bn in Sept 2023

Imports of textile fabric in September 2023 declined by 13.93 per cent to £457 million, compared to £531 million in September 2022. There was, however, a month-on-month increase from the £438 million recorded in August 2023. Meanwhile, the UK’s fibre imports were £29 million in September 2023, a decrease from both September 2022 (£47 million) and August 2023 (£35 million).

UK’s clothing imports totalled £4.164 billion during the third quarter of 2023 (July-August). The imports of fabric were noted at £1.365 billion, and textile fibres at £97 million during 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 £301 million in September 2023, down from £346 million in September 2022. The figure for August 2023 was £334 million. During the third quarter of 2023, the exports of clothing totalled £929 million. 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)