Nigeria has signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese firm Shandong Ruyi International Fashion Industry for an investment of $2 billion in Katsina, Kano, Abia and Lagos states to grow, gin and spin cotton and manufacture textiles and garments, minister of industry, trade and investment Okechukwu Enelamah announced recently in Abuja. The project will involve manufacturing at least 300 million metres of African print to meet 20 per cent of West Africa’s demand, he said. The governm

Courtesy: Pexels The Bangladesh Government has raised the minimum monthly wage of garment workers by around 51 per cent to Tk 8,000 from Tk 5,300 now with effect from December. This was announced by state minister for labour and employment Mohammad Mujibul Haque Chunnu at a press conference recently after the final meeting of the wage board formed in January. The gazette notification regarding the hike will be published soon. Of the total monthly minimum amount, Tk 4,100 is basic wage,

Courtesy: Pexels Asia's biggest international trade exhibition, Textile Asia-2018, concluded in Lahore recently with agreements for joint ventures (JVs) worth $175 million signed. Jointly organised by Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) and E-commerce Gateway, the exhibition attracted 55,000 visitors from different sectors of textile industry. Chinese companies at the show from places like Shanghai, Guangzhou, Jiangsu, Fujian and Shandong showed interest to reloca

About 20 million people are likely to shop on e-commerce platforms during the festive sale period in October, resulting in sales of $3 billion for firms like Amazon and Flipkart, says a report by RedSeer Consulting. About 13-24 million shoppers had transacted on such sites during the five-day festive sale last year and 10 million in 2016 during the same time. RedSeer estimates the daily gross merchandise value (GMV)—the total sales value of merchandise sold through the platform over a certai

Bangladesh experts and businesses feel the country should adopt its own policy on green growth keeping issues of job creation and sustainability in mind instead of following other developed nations. As government funds to meet the financing demand of small and medium enterprises are scarce, they say the issue of financing should be addressed. Their suggestions came up a discussion on green compliance jointly organised by the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and Adam Smith

Courtesy: Levi Strauss Levi Strauss, one of the largest brand-name apparel companies and a leader in jeanswear, has made a series of leadership moves to streamline decision-making and consolidate accountability for core business growth drivers. It has appointed Liz O’Neill as executive vice president and president to create a consolidated product, innovation and supply chain. “As we adapt to the changing retail environment in pursuit of our long-term goals, the leadership changes we are ann

Courtesy: Premier Vision This year, Premier Vision Paris is foreseeing a rise of 2.6 per cent in the number of exhibitors as against last year. More than 2,000 exhibitors are expected at Premiere Vision Paris, the global leader in upstream fashion trade shows, beginning from September 19. The three-day trade show is dedicated to the autumn/winter collection for 2019-20. Premiere Vision Paris will present a rich and diversified programme to meet the industry’s current challenges and to highli

American retailer Walmart and multinational lifestyle retail corporation Urban Outfitters are among the top five retail brands that personalise the customer experience, as per the second annual Retail Personalization Index. Ebay has been ranked at number 5 on this list by Sailthru, a personalised marketing automation technology provider for retailers. Brands that have publicly committed to improving customer experiences last year, such as Urban Outfitters, are now seeing tremendous returns o

Courtesy: Andritz International technology Group Andritz will present innovative nonwovens and textile finishing technologies for Asian markets at the ITMA Asia + CITME show in Shanghai during October 15-19. Andritz has raised the bar for turnkey and customised solutions for drylaid, spunjet, thermobonding, and wetlaid, as well as for conversion of absorbent hygiene products. Andritz has unique technologies tailored for each customer’s needs. Air-through bonding lines are the preferred choi

Courtesy: Philippine Information Agency The recent Philippine Garment and Leather Goods Industries & Fabric Expo showcased export-quality products and helped connect with investors to discuss business opportunities. As many as 11 local and 70 foreign companies presented their innovations at the first-ever trade event in the Philippines focused on promoting wearables, textile, and leather sectors.Various sessions were organised on the status of the Philippine garments, leather goods and fabr