UK fashion retailer warehouses are expected to have around £10 billion of clothing piles up during the current pandemic situation. Several businesses have decided to stop taking deliveries as a result of the coronavirus lockdown.

Primark, Peacocks, Arcadia and Next, amongst others, have halted their trips to the warehouses due to lack of space, as they ended up with a supply of clothing. 

Additionally, Debenhams and Cath Kidston, which are seeing poor performances during the current crisis, are close to collapsing. 

The Guardian reports that a major high street clothing supplier explained, “Spring/summer season has been cancelled. People will try to reuse stock next year, but they will have to slash prices to try and generate cash and some styles will no longer be relevant.”

They added, “There will be containers being docked at [ports] for a fee of £120 a day. All sorts of measures will be taken, because it’s a desperate time.”

Businesses have continued to sell online despite the physical stores shutting down. However, challenges to protect workers from the fast-spreading virus when picking and packing goods in warehouses have caused Next and Moss Bros to stop online sales as well. 

“No one buys T-shirts in the winter. The industry has lost a season,” another supplier stated. 

“The notice of intention forms part of the process by which Cath Kidston is continuing to work with A&M to explore all options for the company in the current climate,” a Cath Kidston spokesperson.

Cath Kidston Group reported a pre-tax loss of £42.3 million in the year to the end of March 2018.

 

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