EU: EU Clothing, Cotton Pullover and Cotton Bed Linen Imports in the 1st Quarter of 2010.

The European clothing import market did not recover over the first quarter this year. A stabilisation in Chinese shipments did not benefit other Asian nations with Indonesia and Bangladesh most negatively affected. Suppliers of the high-end segment are back, especially Turkey and Tunisia.

EU's imports of cotton pullovers were very depressed over the first quarter, by contrast with the sharp increase of the last year. Prices heavily fell, reflecting the preference for cheapest products.

EU's imports of cotton bed linen began recovering over the first quarter of the year. Pakistan remained the largest supplier on both printed and non-printed segments while radical changes were experienced on largest European markets in terms of sourcing and prices.