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With delays of up to two weeks, “fashionably late” might be too generous to describe the shipping delays that several fast fashion companies now face as global shipping companies continue to avoid the shaky waters of the Red Sea.Loads of apparel companies including Ralph Lauren, Lululemon, H&M and Zara could face weeks long delays due to attacks on shipping vessels from Yemen’s Houthi group, called Ansarullah, which seeks to deter military shipments bound for Israel. Companies that depend on quick, on-trend deliveries now face a stormy horizon clouded with higher shipping and fuel costs as vessels reroute on lengthy trips around Africa’s southern tip. Retailers face hefty price increases while customers may feel the strain in clothes that arrive out of fashion.Trouble for retailers who depend on quickly delivered, trendy clothes Rerouting around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope can take weeks longer and cost up to $1 million extra in fuel costs for each round trip, Reuters reported.Many companies, especially those whose sales depend on fast fashion trends and speedy deliveries, will find themselves forced to choose between delivering trends on time by expediting their packages through expensive routes, like air freight, or accepting delayed shipments as an uncontrollable factor.Chris Rogers, the head of supply chain research at S&P Global Market Intelligence, explained that if the disruptions last beyond the next few weeks, “which we expect they will, then seasonal deliveries will need to depart two weeks earlier than normal,” to keep up with companies’ design and sales models. He warns that this “could be disastrous for businesses …
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