Editorial: US apparel retailers hold on to their price gains after the cotton price hike

US apparel retailers appear to have held on to the price gains they made after a 154% hike in cotton fibre prices, according to research by Jon Devine of Cotton Incorporated and Alejandro S Plastina, formerly with the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC). During the hike, which occurred between August 2010 and March 2011, cotton fibre prices rose more steeply that at any time since records began. Consequently, no one knew for certain how much, or how quickly, the hike would affect the prices of yarns, fabrics and apparel in the manufacturing supply chain, and the prices which consumers would have to pay for apparel items in retail stores. In the event, the hike resulted in an increase in the apparel retail price of just 6-7% by the time it had filtered through the supply chain. More recently, the price of cotton fibre has fallen noticeably but apparel retail prices have remained at more or less the same level as when they peaked. In this report, Robin Anson discusses the effects of the hike throughout the supply chain and speculates what may happen to cotton supply, demand and prices in the future if, as has been predicted, global demand for cotton fibre grows faster than the ability of producers to supply it.

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