which are in China independent manufacturers suffer

After Chantelle and Simone Pérèle, Dim, Aubade, Well and Arena are offshore. Relocations are well underway in the lingerie and underwear. Difficulties in adjusting to Asian competition, competitiveness in free fall... The whole of the sector has undergone head-on the lifting of quotas for import of Chinese products on 1 January 2005. It began in the spring, by the announcement of 450 deletions of posts and the closure of its site in Nièvre by American DB Apparel (ex-Sara Lee), which includes the brands Dim and Playtex. Then, in mid-November, the number two global swimwear, Arena, sponsor of Laure Manaudou, announced the judgment of its plant in Libourne, Gironde. And, finally, the manufacturer of tights Well (Natexis Industries), expressed its intention to close its site of le Vigan (Gard) in the relocation of all of its production in Asia.

Volume of purchases declining

At first glance, the European lingerie market remained promising. With 198 million of elderly women over 15 years, the Union of 25 is the third world behind China and the India, but before the United States market. Moreover, after the British, the French are the second highest consumers of lingerie, with an average annual budget of 109 euros, so ahead (79 euros) Italian and German (69 euros). According to a recent study by the MFI (French Institute of fashion), they spent in 2005, 2.6 billion EUR ( 1.3 in value), or 19 of their clothing. But that same year, for the first time in a decade, day linen purchasing volumes decreased by 2. And there is a stagnation of spending the first six months of 2006. If the partial recovery of the quotas has officially limited to 10 annual growth in imports of Chinese Bras up to end of 2007, Hong Kong has taken over and underpants imports they escape the quotas from the former empire of the Middle jumped 39 in the first quarter.

The self-employed suffer

"Until recently, lingerie had been less affected by relocations." Because it was a product as "technical", which had relatively resisted the fall in prices. "No doubt there was a certain falling asleep in this market", explains Evelyne Chaballier, of the MFIS. To keep pace with demand growing, "mark French from SMEs often family looking to grow internationally and to develop their own distribution network." To achieve this, they need capital that they have not necessarily; This is why many are those that have changed hands: Aubade, Dim, Princess Tam Tam, Barbara... ", said a recent study by the MFI. While the Japanese Fast Retailing, owner of the cotton counter, put the hand on Princess Tam Tam in 2005, Barbara was taken over by Natexis Private Equity earlier this year. With the development of trade marks-signs integrated Etam, H & M and Zara... and large distributors (Carrefour, Auchan...), which are in China, independent manufacturers suffer. The difficulties of the lingerie reflect the malaise of the whole of the sector of clothing, which has lost 5.475(2) jobs in 2005 and 87.518 jobs in twelve years, a drop of 60 of its workforce.