In the first half of this year, China’s home textile exports maintain rapid growth, export scale hit a record high. Exports of China’s home textile products to the world’s top 20 markets have maintained growth.

The characteristics of China’s home textile export from January to June are as follows:

 

1. Rapid growth in exports and a record scale

 

From January to June, China’s export of home textile products reached USD 15.56 billion, an increase of 54 percent compared with the same period last year, and an increase of 22.4 percent compared with the same period in 2019. The export scale reached a record high. Meanwhile, the export of home textile products accounted for 11 percent of the total export of textile and garment products, 42 percentage points higher than the overall export growth of textile and garment, effectively driving the recovery of the overall export growth of the industry. Among them, the export of curtain, carpet, blanket and other products maintained a high growth rate of more than 60 percent, while the export of kitchen supplies and table textiles grew relatively slowly, between 28 percent and 42 percent.

 

Companies reported that due to the global COVID-19, some orders from India and ASEAN have returned since this year, and the current order volume of companies is relatively high. The trend is expected to continue to the third quarter or the end of the year. At present, the main enterprises are cautiously optimistic and have not blindly expanded their production capacity. After the global pandemic stabilizes, they will still face the pressure of industrial relocation and order outflow.

 

2. The United States leads the recovery of demand in the international home textile market

 

In the first half of the year, exports of home textile products to the world’s top 20 markets maintained growth.

 

In the U.S., Europe and Japan market, China’s export to the U.S. market has the highest growth rate, with the export volume reaching us USD 5.17 billion, up 65 percent over the same period last year and 30.5 percent over the same period in 2019, accounting for 33.2 percent of the total export volume of home textile products. 

 

In addition, the export of home textile products to the EU also maintained a rapid growth, with an export volume of USD 2 billion, up 42.4 percent compared with the same period last year and 10 percent compared with the same period in 2019, accounting for 13.2 percent of the total export volume of home textile products.

 

The export growth rate of home textile products to Japanese market is relatively slow, with the export volume reaching USD 1.37 billion, up 8.8 percent compared with the same period last year and 6.2 percent compared with the same period in 2019, accounting for 8.8 percent of the total export volume of home textile products.

 

In terms of regional markets, exports to Latin America, ASEAN and North America grew faster, with year-on-year growth between 65 percent and 112 percent.

 

3. The export of the top five provinces and cities recovered steadily, and the export growth of eight provinces and cities more than doubled

 

Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanghai and Guangdong ranked the top five home textile exporting provinces and cities in China respectively. In the first half of this year, exports maintained a steady recovery, with export growth between 46 percent and 59 percent. It is worth noting that Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces account for 55 percent of the total export of home textile in China, and the export provinces and cities are increasingly concentrated.

 

Among other provinces and cities, Yunnan, Shanxi, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Tibet, and Gansu experienced rapid growth in exports, all of which have more than doubled.

 

4. Importers maintain optimistic sales expectations but sales declined month-on-month

 

In July, the National Retail Federation (NRF) raised its full-year 2021 retail forecast. Retail sales in the U.S. market are expected to grow 10.5 percent to 13.5 percent in 2021 from 2020, between USD 4.44 trillion and USD 4.56 trillion, up about 5 percentage points from previous projections released in February. Over the same period, the Commerce Department said, according to data from the household products and furniture monthly sales fell, it generated sales of around USD 11.83 billion in June, a revised USD 12.27 billion in May retail sales fell by 3.6 percent, in the Commerce Department said the largest decline in all kinds of goods, the overall situation tends to be stable.

 

In addition, as the global pandemic gradually abates, offline transactions are expected to resume operation, helping the global trade market to regain prosperity. In July, the American Home Textile Association announced that it would resume weekly offline events at the Hometextiles Sourcing this fall, while retaining the online platform to accommodate demand from suppliers and retailers who were unable to travel to New York to participate in the event. In China, the Canton Fair is also preparing to be held both online and offline.