Women's & Children's Apparel Wholesaling in the US - Industry Market Research Report

Fresh fit: Operators turning to automation to stay competitive will likely discourage new operators from entering the industry

Shifting supply chain trends in the Women's and Children's Apparel Wholesaling industry have changed aspects of industry operations over the five years to 2019. Amid these changes, improving economic conditions have provided the industry with some stability, preventing steady declines in industry revenue. This stability was further aided by declining input prices, such as the world price of cotton, for upstream manufacturers in addition to an appreciating US dollar. However, the vertical integration of the supply chain has posed a threat to industry operators during the current period. Overall, industry revenue has declined over the past five years. However, industry revenue is forecast to return to growth over the five years to 2024. While the average industry profit margin is expected to remain steady over the next five years, the difference between profit earned by smaller and larger operators will likely increase as operators are anticipated to leverage economies of scale to boost operational efficiencies.

Industry operators purchase and resell women’s, children’s, infants’ and unisex clothing and accessories. Operators purchase apparel from manufacturers and sell these products to retailers, with minimum or no further development of the product. Most wholesalers in this industry undertake sales and administrative activities, such as establishing relationships with manufacturers and retailers, marketing and advertising, and storage and transportation of stock.

This report covers the scope, size, disposition and growth of the industry including the key sensitivities and success factors. Also included are five year industry forecasts, growth rates and an analysis of the industry key players and their market shares.