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Gap has been consistently posting gross profit.
Earnings per share (EPS) stands at 0.51 for the previous quarter. P/E or the price to earnings ratio stands at 13.65.
The Trailing Twelve Months operating margin is 7.7 per cent. The return on invested capital is 17.6 per cent, which is good, compared to its peers.
Stock is currently moving with a negative distance from the 200 day simple moving average of approximately -3.4 per cent, and has a solid year to date (YTD) performance of 2.81 per cent, which means the stock is constantly adding to its value from the previous fiscal year end price.
The stock diminished about -0.91 per cent in the past five years. This negative value indicates that the stock is constantly going down in previous years as well.
Looking at the current price of the stock and the 52 week high and low, it suggests that the stock is likely to go up in future.
The company’s revenues are expected to rise by 6.71 per cent a year over the next five years.
A wide range of industries in the UK could be damaged if there is no free trade deal in place in two years’ time. Fashion will be among the major industries to suffer. The EU was Britain’s biggest market for textiles and apparel, accounting for 74 per cent of those exports. Britain’s exports to the EU rose 36 per cent from 2012 to 2016. The rise was boosted by an increased interest in heritage UK manufacturing and the creativity of British fashion designers.
The UK is currently seen as a gateway to the EU and losing this status if it has no fee trade deal could jeopardise one of the key contributors to the sector’s growth. With attention focused on protecting Britain's trade in financial services, non-financial exports are at risk. Such industries make up around one-third of total UK exports and currently run a trade surplus, another major reason for them to be protected.
Not only would exports be hit but EU copyright protection for designers could be at risk and that could mean effectively closing down London Fashion Week as a platform to promote British businesses. However, industries like fashion may do better than aviation or broadcasting in the absence of a free trade deal. Fashion can fall back on World Trade Organisation rules.
China hosted Spinexpo from February 28 to March 2, 2017. This is an exhibition for fibers, yarns, knitwear, knitted fabrics and creative machinery. Collections presented by exhibitors improved in quality and R&D, ranging from innovative and sophisticated products to stock service items that can be delivered at pace.
Sustainability remained a fundamental concern in fiber selection as well as the use of gentle technology to enhance wearers’ experience. Together with functionality, moisture management type fibers, extendable and movement oriented yarns, the growing concern for more caring and responsible products was visible through all the collections.
Spinexpo registered a growing number of visitors from Bangladesh and confirmed the growing importance of the country as the new manufacturing base after China. China registered the highest number of visitors. There was a growing number of key visiting companies from the US and Europe. The Spinexplore area continued to forecast the trend segmentation of the coming season.
There was emphasis on recycled and sustainable yarns and fibers, particularly if they bring innovative qualities to the products, through varied recycling processes. The show recorded 11,457 entries, a five per cent increase compared to the last autumn/winter and spring/summer. A positive attitude to construct the future was what characterised this season.
Pakistan’s textile exports are not growing. Pakistan is the fourth largest cotton producer in the world after China, India and the US. Despite having this advantage, Pakistan has been unable to compete with Bangladesh, a country that imports almost 95 per cent of its cotton.
One of the biggest problems for Pakistan is that its annual cotton production has dropped from about 15 million bales to just 10 million bales. As a result, the country imports cotton and this increases the cost of production. The textile industry contributes about 60 per cent to Pakistan’s total exports.
China, the world’s largest apparel exporter, is facing problems due to rising labor wages. The rise in labor wages meant apparel manufacturing, a 80 billion dollar industry in China, could no longer be done cost effectively. The area was left vacant for Bangladesh, Pakistan and Vietnam, where wages are far lower than China’s. After China, only these three had the economies of scale and the idle labor capacity.
But much of the share has gone to Bangladesh and Vietnam. Ironically neither is a cotton producer, which Pakistan is. Nor do they have a large-scale upstream industry such as ginning, spinning, weaving and fabric processing, which Pakistan has.
China's competitiveness in cotton textiles is dropping rapidly, while India’s competitiveness is steadily improving. This has offered an opportunity for India to capture market share from China in the developed world, especially the European Union and the United States, which cumulatively comprise around 60 per cent of the global export market.
Even if one per cent of China’s market is captured by Indian exporters, there would be a big boost to India’s overall shipment in the sector. The domestic market is also gradually overcoming dull demand sentiment which had arisen out of demonetisation of high value currency notes in November 2016. Steady business growth was witnessed in January and February, after subdued sales in November and December. With the wedding season on, the industry expects sales to remain up this season.
However, global apparel trade remains under pressure, having contracted for a second year in 2016, owing to subdued demand in key importing countries. While the volume growth was marginally positive, primarily aided by a recovery in demand from Europe, realisations fell. Further, latest trends point to a modest recovery so far in 2017.
The pace of growth for other Asian apparel exporters, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Vietnam, has also moderated in the last two years, though the countries continue to grow at a relatively better pace than India.
Home textiles from India are gaining share in export markets. New capacities and backward integration are expected to help firms like Himatsingka Seide and Indo Count improve profitability and market share. Himatsingka Seide has expanded bed linen capacity and is aiming to commission spinning capacity, which helps in backward integration. Indo Count is expanding bed linen capacity and is planning to build a new plant.
Indo Count expects a 10 to 12 per cent volume growth in financial year 2018. Also Indo Count believes its volume growth has the potential to grow at a higher rate after financial year ’18. Even as the rupee appreciated 3.8 per cent against the dollar in the last three months, and cotton prices rose 20 per cent from a year ago, shares of Indo Count, Trident, Himatsingka Seide and Welspun gained 20 to 40 per cent in the last three months.
However, cost pressures can impact that advantage. Higher yuan depreciation against the rupee appreciation and a reduced cotton price spread between India and China is impacting the Indian advantage. The recently notified duty drawback scheme is expected to provide some cushion, but cost pressures outweigh the benefits from the scheme. If the external environment does not worsen, home textile makers can overcome the current cost pressures with scale benefits.
Bangladesh’s garment exports to non-traditional markets increased 3.4 per cent year-on-year in July to December of the current fiscal year. For Bangladesh, non-traditional markets are markets other than the European Union, US and Canada.
The newer markets mean a lot for the country, not just for sustaining the huge industry and the employment it provides to millions, but also for maintaining its robust contribution to the economy. Bangladesh’s largest export destination is Japan. The other markets that have demonstrated good prospects include Australia, China, Turkey and Russia.
Exporters were more focused on bulk orders from their known markets - the US and the EU. But prospects of exporting to newer and non-traditional markets on an increased scale are equally rewarding. One factor that has helped this is the cash incentive given to exporters. Another is market exploration efforts. And some importing countries have simplified the Rules of Origin.
Bangladesh began giving cash incentives on garment exports to emerging markets to offset the fallout from the financial meltdown the world faced in 2007. These cash incentives on export to non-traditional markets drove growth over the years. The cash incentive for apparel exporters was five per cent in 2009-10, four per cent in 2010-11 and two per cent in 2011-12.
The International Conference on Apparel & Home Textiles (ICAHT) will be held in New Delhi, September 9, 2017.
The theme of the conference this time isPeople, purpose and Passion:The pathway to success. The idea is to explore creativity and the creative process through the lenses of imagination and innovation.
Renowned speakers from different organizations across the globe will share their learning in the form of presentations and workshops on various topics connected with the textile and apparel industry.
The event is being organized by the Okhla Garment and Textile Cluster (OGTC). OGTC organizes ICAHT every year.
So far OGTC has organized 12 editions of ICAHT, invited 57 international speakers and 123 Indian speakers (35 from industry, 36 from academic institutions and 52 eminent consultants).
The conference is a great opportunity for the international trade fraternity to know the dual strengths that India can offer, not only as a great supplier base, but also as a fashion destination for international brands. Further, it provides an opportunity to share knowledge on state of the art experiences in global fashion marketing as well as supply chain management.
The conference is intended to cover all aspects of the apparel industry, including the problems of small-scale enterprises in the developing world, barriers which are hindering the growth of this industry, strengths and weaknesses of manufacturers in different regions, globalization issues, resource and manpower scarcity, quality of the product, trade laws, adopting new techniques to improve productivity, managing the global supply chain and changing apparel industry trends.
"Techtextil, International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens and Texprocess, International Trade Fair for Processing Textile and Flexible Materials will be held in Frankfurt between May 9th to 12th May, 2017."
Techtextil, International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens and Texprocess, International Trade Fair for Processing Textile and Flexible Materials will be held in Frankfurt between May 9th to 12th May, 2017.
Under the heading ‘Living in Space’, in cooperation with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the German Aerospace Centre ,the two fairs will illustrate the broad spectrum of applications for technical textiles with examples from the aerospace sector.
“Space fascinates people all over the world. All our space missions are backed by many years of research and innovation in which new materials and processing technologies played a decisive role”, says Frank Salzgeber, Head of ESA Technology Transfer Programme Office (TTPO) on the collaboration with Techtextil and Texprocess.
Dr Rolf-Dieter Fischer, Director, DLR Technology Marketing, adds, “Thanks to their extreme durability and temperature resistance, many of the materials developed for space travel are finding their way into everyday products, and vice versa. This is particularly true of fibre-based materials with materials developed for space suits that regulate heat and moisture now being used in sports shoes, garments and home textiles.”
“It will take several years before we can hold fairs on Mars. Until then, we will show at Techtextil and Texprocess products and processes covering almost all aspects of human life, from clothing, via building and mobility, to safety, medicine and agricultural technology – in other words, all those fields that are necessary for travel and survival in space”, says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles and Textile Technologies, Messe Frankfurt.
Techtextil to present high-tech textiles and textile processing technologies
In addition to a space-oriented area in the vicinity of exhibitors for functional apparel textiles, insights into the start-up scene and expert lectures are planned. Based on the areas of application for technical textiles, Techtextil will present high-tech textiles and textile processing technologies from and for the space sector revolving around four main themes. ‘Mobility’ brings together examples of applications relating to locomotion in space, e.g., lightweight structures for space capsules and parachute fabrics. ‘Clothing’ covers the subject of functional garment textiles such as space-inspired high-tech fashion. ‘Civilization’ stands for textile products for survival, e.g., geotextiles for growing foodstuffs and textiles for medical applications, as well as for energy production or filtration. ‘Architecture’ presents applications for dwellings and the infrastructure.
According to the German Aerospace Industries Association, the German aerospace industry generates annual revenues of 34.7 billion euros and is set to expand further. With a growth rate of 12 percent a year, aerospace is one of the world’s driving forces for growth in the field of carbon-fibre reinforced plastics. Used in components of space capsules and fuel tanks, this heat and deformation resistant material cuts weight and, therefore, transport costs. Fibre-reinforced composites are also used in the folding antennae of communication, which can be as much as 30 metres in diameter when opened, and earth observation satellites. Just to mention, a space suit consists of numerous layers of high-tech textiles that protect the astronaut from heat and radiation at the same time as regulating the body temperature.
Texprocess: A clothing industry hotspot for technology
“It is well worth our while continually developing Texprocess further, with regard to the technologies and processes on display, the hall layout and the complementary programme.” says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies, Messe Frankfurt.
Texprocess reports growing sign up numbers, particularly in the CAD/CAM and Cutting, Making, Trimming (CMT) product groups. Technologies and material for Sewing, Joining and Fastening are growing steadily, too. The range of products at Texprocess once again covers all stages in the value-creation chain for textile goods, from design, IT, cutting out, sewing, seaming, embroidery and knitting to finishing, textile printing and logistics.
Premiére: Digital Textile Micro Factory
One of the highlights at the upcoming event will be the ‘Digital Textile Micro Factory’ presenting a live demonstration of an integrated production chain for apparel. In collaboration with the German Institutes for Textile and Fibre Research in Denkendorf and a number of well-known companies in the textile sector, Texprocess will, in the micro factory, demonstrate the entire networked production of items of clothing – from the design stage to digital printing, automatic cutting out and fabrication.
“The demand for individualised products necessitates making the entire production process more flexible. Serial production with, at the same time, smaller and smaller batches, right down to batches of just one, is only possible with industrially manufactured individual products. These fully automated and networked processes can now be implemented through the use of digitalisation,” adds Elgar Straub, General Manager of the VDMA’s Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies Division.
Industry partners of the Digital Textile Micro Factory at Texprocess are Assyst, Human Solutions, Coldenhove, Duerkopp Adler, Ergosoft, Eschler Textil, Mimaki, Monti Antonio, Schoeller Textil, Seripress, and Zuend.
Focus on Digital Printing
Digital Printing will be one of the thematic focuses of the Texprocess complimentary programme. The sector’s information service, the World Textile Information Network (WTiN) will, for the first time, be organising the European Digital Textile Conference at Texprocess. The conference will centre round technologies for digital printing on textiles and will be held on Wednesday 10th May.
Catwalk for innovative processing technologies
Following on from the success of its first edition, the Innovative Apparel Show is to be continued and set on an international footing. For the first time there will be a German university, and three European universities / colleges from outside Germany, showcasing, on the catwalk, their fashion designs from functional textiles and the processing stages that go into making them. The show will take place on each day of the trade fair.
With the Texprocess Innovation Award, Messe Frankfurt seeks, for the fourth time, to honour the best new technological developments in the field. The awards in the various categories will be presented during the joint opening ceremony for Texprocess and Techtextil, on 9th May 2017.
Texprocess will again be taking place in parallel to Techtextil, leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens (also from 9th to 12th May 2017). In all, 1,662 exhibitors from 54 different countries attended Texprocess and Techtextil in 2015, together with a total of 42,000 trade visitors. Over 13,300 of them came to see Texprocess. Added to that, there were around 7,600 additional visitors, who came across from the concurrently held Techtextil.
"Nearly 1,213 exhibitors, of 400 from 21 nations and regions outside China, presented their new collections from March 15-17, at CHIC Shanghai (Spring), Asia’s leading fashion trade show. CHIC covered 107,200 sq. mt. area at the National Exhibition & Convention Centre, Shangahi. And 108,164 trade visitors registered at the fair, among them were leading department stores, shopping malls, increasingly multi-brand stores, etc."
Nearly 1,213 exhibitors, of 400 from 21 nations and regions outside China, presented their new collections from March 15-17, at CHIC Shanghai (Spring), Asia’s leading fashion trade show. CHIC covered 107,200 sq. mt. area at the National Exhibition & Convention Centre, Shangahi. And 108,164 trade visitors registered at the fair, among them were leading department stores, shopping malls, increasingly multi-brand stores, etc. Special focus was given to innovations and inspiration. To be different’ – looking different than others remains one of the most important claims for the fashion conscious Chinese consumers.
Chen Depend, Head of CHIC and President of China National Garment Association, explains, “Prime importance in the fashion & textile industry is given to technical developments, also in the view of increasing labour costs. New designs increase demand and incite desire; fashion enriches cultural diversity. A special demand is also given to ecological fashion with high fashion level. And lastly, no more brand image defines the success, but the combination and relationship of individual design, quality and price.”
Growing China’s retail expanse
The retail market in China is still growing. In 2016, the market noted an increase of 6.8 per cent in stationary trade and even 18.6 per cent in online shopping compared to the last year. For 2017, growth is pegged at 10 per cent. CHIC registered this year many department stores, which have expanded to China such as House of Fraser or the Greek Folli Folli New Concept Store Hong Kong.
New products’, satisfied exhibitors
Special interest registered the company Saint Andrew who presented innovation via intelligent clouds. This new system enables customers to develop their own style and have it afterwards produced as individual piece. As in the past, Turkey participated in Heritage (leatherwear section) and presented its high-end leatherwear, fur and shoe companies. A new performance was given by an international leather handbags exhibition where around 40 exhibitors showed their new collections. Among them were Calvin Klein, Hello Kitty, National Geographic, Travelbox.
Surely the exhibitors were a happy lot as Roby Spernanzoni, Owner, Spernanzoni Srl, Italy pointed out, “Chic is the only fashion fair that we participate in China as we regard it a valuable event and an effective way to access the Chinese market. This is our sixth time to join this fair. This year we found the Chinese market is changing. More and more Chinese clients are searching products at high quality regardless the fame of the brand and are more willing to insert some brands with good products even the brand names are not so familiar to the Chinese consumers. The arrangement of the runway show is a very nice approach to increase the visibility of our goods. After six editions' participation, we still believe the Chic Show will assist our brands to know more and manage better in this potential market.” In the same vein, Stefano De Angelis, Calzaturificio Giovanni Fabiani Srl, Italy, said, “All of Giovanni Fabiani’s know-how on the femininity front has been pured into the contemporary collection for next Fall/Winter at CHIC, the most influential and professional fair in China. We collected during the CHIC Spring edition a great feedback from the customers and the Chinese operators especially for our quality supply and the high level of the presentation of our F/W collection.”
Messe Offenbach, Arnd Hinrich Kappe, CEO, ILM, Germany, shared, they made good new contacts with retailers at CHIC. Global attendance at ILM is growing through international presentations like this. Javier Roca, Owner, Jose Roca, Spain, informed, “It is second time at CHIC and we made many contacts we have to follow-up after the fair. Our location is very good, how we proceed will depend on the result of this time’s participation.”
Ginning Wu, ing Brand Management, Distributor China, Amazonas, Brazil, said, “We made contacts to new clients this time again and received good orders. We find at CHIC a good mix of fashion people visiting of all distribution channels, offline and online. We will come back again in October.” Six times participant, Raymond Lam, Owner, Vendula London, UK, said, “It’s being a great show for us, we received very positive response. Many of our old clients came and we made numerous contacts to new customers like House of Fraser or Wanda Plaza. In October, we will be back at CHIC again.”
Sanikai, a young Swiss designer label of vegan designer Sanaa Akaaouf remarked, “Coming to China through CHIC was a very big step for us and we are proud that we realized it this time. We received a lot of contacts from all over China, as well from Singapore and Malaysia. We do see it as well as a kind of mission to introduce our PET collection to China and want to contribute to a change of mind in one of the world’s biggest consumer markets. We noted a very big interest in our ecological fashion.”
Special Activities during CHIC
CHIC as service platform assists international participants by realizing special activities such as match-makings. The China Fashion Business Forum (Spring) devoted its topics to optimizing supply chains and accessing to cloud-intelligent manufacturing. But also trend seminars belonged to the program. A special highlight was the 25 brand fashion shows which enabled visitors to get an overall idea on new brands and new trends. At the same time and same location further trade shows took place: Intertextile, China International Trade Fair for Textiles and Accessories, Yarn Expo and PH Value. This parallelism is possible due to the enormous size of the fairground with over 400,000 sq. mt. indoor. The next show is slated to held from October 2017, 11-13.
