
Chinese women’s apparel sales climbed in December, according to industry analysts at market research firm J.W. Morris.
The sales of women’s fashion and accessories climbed in the first quarter to 6.45 trillion yuan ($9.4 billion), up 2.2 percent from a year earlier, according the survey conducted by the J. W. Morris Group.
This is the first time the company has reported the figures.
The increase is attributed to an increase in sales of clothing and accessories in the Chinese market as a whole, as the country becomes more hospitable to overseas brands, according J. Williams Group President David Johnson.
Sales in the retail space also increased, which helped boost profits for clothing retailers.
“The new apparel sales are the strongest we have seen in the last three months,” Johnson said.
“There’s no question China is the second-largest market in the world, after the U.S., but the rise in sales is not just in women’s clothes.”
He added that the growth is not surprising, as Chinese women have always been shopping for their favorite styles.
The average monthly sales of the Chinese fashion and apparel industry in December was 4.65 trillion yuan, up 4.2 percentage points from the previous quarter, according a J.
Williams survey.
The firm expects the growth rate to continue in the coming quarters.
In a note on Tuesday, the firm said that China’s clothing market is still recovering from a severe slowdown that began in the second half of 2016.
The country’s overall retail sales slowed to 6 percent of gross domestic product in the fourth quarter, down from 9.3 percent in the third quarter, J.H. Williams & Talley &.
Bacon noted.