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NEWS

CHINA SOURCING TOUR OPENS UP FRESH OPPORTUNITIES

Earlier this month, COTTON USA hosted an exciting sourcing tour in China. It was the fifth time COTTON USA has chosen to organise a tour in this country and it proved to be both popular and successful, being the largest apparel buyers’ tour recorded in the history of the Supply Chain Marketing Programme.

The event enabled buyers representing twenty five brands and retailers, including, amongst others, Benetton, Debenhams, Max Mara, M&S, Polo Ralph Lauren and Quiksilver, to conveniently explore the advantages of sourcing U.S. cotton-rich garments from a wide range of selected suppliers.

This year’s tour differed from previous years, as suppliers from other parts of Asia with strong textile economies such as Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam were also invited along, a move that was well received among the attendees. As Peter Hevicon, the General Manager of the Far East Office at Debenhams explained, “By meeting in one location with several suppliers, we were able to make best use of our time - engaging with contacts who best met our specific requirements. The event also enabled me to share experiences and information with other international buyers with regard to fabric, product and the current market situation in China”.

The week opened with an extensive briefing session that included introductions to CCI and new Cotton Incorporated product developments. The briefing session continued with a one and a half day trade show and two days of factory visits in Hangzhou and Guangzhou where the buyers were able to inspect a number of selected companies’ manufacturing facilities, to view U.S. cotton-rich woven fabrics and garments. Peter also commented, “The rigorous programme of mill, factory and showroom visits was invaluable - providing a true insight into the operations of potential business partners”.

Tony Taylor, Senior Fabric Manager at Marks and Spencer said, "The COTTON USA tour was well organised and opened up fresh opportunities, allowing us to make new contacts and do business with new suppliers in China and North & South Asia. These types of tours are invaluable, as they can help ‘fast-track’ our entire sourcing process, as we met face-to-face a wide range of trustworthy factories and mills that hold real potential of us doing business”.

For more information about COTTON USA buyers’ tours, please email sthiers@cotton.org or visit www.cottonusa.co.uk.