Image Source : China Visual

BEIJING, November 16 (TMTPOST) — The Zhongda Fabric Market in Guangzhou city has been closed since October 24, according to a merchant in the Market.

Hit by the pandemic, the Guangzhou garment industry has completely missed the peak season of sales at the end of this year.

Every October is the peak season for fabric shipments because the garment industry has to prepare for the Nov. 11 shopping spree in China and overseas "Black Friday."  80% of inventory is stored in the fabric market, and can not get out without logistics, according to a merchant.

There are more than 100,000 kinds of categories and more than 20,000 stores in the market. More than 30,000 garment factories, workshops, and stores are concentrated around the market, forming an industrial cluster with more than 300,000 employees and an annual turnover of more than 200 billion yuan ($28.23 billion).

16 new confirmed cases and 53 asymptomatic infections were reported in Guangzhou on October 23, with transmissions in Haizhu District being the worst. From 15:00 that day to 4:00 a.m. on October 24, Haizhu District issued three notices, beefing up the pandemic control.

Another person familiar with the Zhongda Fabric Market said despite the market shutdown at the beginning, the control was not strict, and garment factories in Haizhu District were still in production.

The biggest challenge faced by the industry is the inability to ship the goods. About 2 million yuan ($282,150) of semi-manufactured goods and inventory are stranded in the factory, according to a business owner.

Downstream apparel distributors cannot be immune from the pandemic. An industry source said that 90 percent of the city's wholesale garment markets have suspended operations. "The inventory is sold out, but the factories still can't ship new products, and we have nothing to sell. It's clear that Guangzhou's garment industry has completely missed the peak season at the end of this year," she said.