// Uniqlo says stock due to be launched this month has been delayed
// While many Vietnam factories have reopened owners are still struggling with a lack of staff
Uniqlo has become the latest major fashion retailer to warn of stock delays due to COVID-19 lockdowns across Vietnam.
Uniqlo’s parent company Fast Retailing warned yesterday that a number of items in its ‘Uniqlo U’ range due to be released over September and October will now be delayed.
The four new items were due to be released across Uniqlo’s home market in Japan, according to a company spokesperson.
It comes as numerous major fashion brands including Nike and Adidas have been hit hard by factory closures across Vietnam following a fresh wave of COVID cases.
READ MORE
- Nike to lose 160 million pairs of shoes after factory closure in Vietnam
- Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing cuts profit forecast as footfall drops
While most garment factories have now reopened across the country, they are dealing with a huge backlog of orders and are now struggling with a shortage of workers as many areas are still under full lockdown.
Earlier this week Nike warned investors that it was on the cusp of losing the production of 160 million pairs of shoes after the closure of a factory in Vietnam.
The sportswear giant announced in July that manufacturing in Vietnam had to be paused after the Delta variant was sweeping through the country’s communities.
Vietnamese contract factories made up a huge 50 per cent of branded footwear last year and the news of Nike’s factory closure caused its share price to slip 2.7 per cent.
Research company BTIG has said that the impact to Nike could be felt as far into the future as spring 2022, and that the retailer has already lost approximately 80 million pairs of shoes so far.
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