The textile trade sector has managed to overcome the strong crisis caused by the pandemic in Spain and place its numbers above the levels prior to the closures caused by Covid-19. Specifically, in 2022 (latest closed INE data available), the sector’s turnover was above 47,450 million euros. In 2022, each textile retail company in Spain sold 15.3% more than in 2018. It represents 5% of the turnover of Spanish commercial activity, both wholesale and retail, according to the report The contribution of textile retail to the Spanish economy, presented today by the Spanish Retail Textile Association (ARTE) in the Congress of Deputies.
The association holds its first public event in this agora since its creation in June 2023. Among its associates are the Inditex group, Tendam, Mango, H
The president of the Spanish Textile Retail Association (ARTE), Ana López-Casero, stressed in the presentation that “textile is committed to the Spanish economy, to the Spain Brand, to innovation and sustainability, being the main private employer in the country.” . She stressed that the report shows that it is a sector that is an “important generator of added value” and that contributes “relevantly to the GDP”, with 19.8 billion in 2022. It represents 1.62% of the Spanish gross domestic product. .
According to data from the report, the textile trade supports around 343,000 jobs, of which 163,840 jobs are direct. “We are the gateway to the working life of thousands of young people and we have almost 75% female employment,” said Diego Vizcaíno, general director of ARTE in his presentation at Congress.
The first vice president of the Government and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, stated during the presentation that this sector is an “economic engine and one of the best ambassadors in the world. It is an indisputable part of the Spain Brand, thanks to a presence in the international market that values ??the enormous quality and Spanish design of our products.”
Montero thanked the sector for its versatility and adaptation during the pandemic “when it reinvented itself to be able to supply important medical supplies” and has offered the collaboration of the Executive to “gain new international market shares in this competitive context.”
Specifically, in the European context, Spanish companies concentrated 12.6% of the 325,000 million euros invoiced by all European companies dedicated to the textile trade in 2021 (latest data available in Eurostat). Spain is positioned as the fourth most relevant European market in the fashion sector, after Germany, Italy and France.