Apparels

Sri Lankan garment manufacturers secured unprecedented access to the UK market under liberalised trade rules beginning January 1.
They are now allowed to source up to cent per cent of inputs from any country while maintaining tariff-free access to the UK.
There are fewer processing requirements now, removing the previous rule that two significant manufacturing processes must take place in Sri Lanka.

Centric Brands has acquired select assets of Fownes Brothers & Co, covering cold-weather accessories operations, intellectual property and sourcing.
The deal adds licences including Ugg, Timberland and Cole Haan, alongside private-label manufacturing for The North Face and Lululemon.
Andrew Gluckman joins as SVP to lead the division, strengthen category leadership and drive scalable, profitable growth.

Gold jewellery stocks surged on Wednesday. Titan Company, Kalyan Jewellers India, and Senco Gold reported strong third-quarter sales. This positive market sentiment is expected to continue. Analysts point to rising gold prices and consistent sales growth as key drivers. Titan’s jewellery business grew 41% year-on-year. Senco’s revenue was up 51%. Kalyan Jewellers saw consolidated revenue growth of approximately 42%.

Kalyan Jewellers posted 42% year-on-year revenue growth in Q3 FY26, driven by strong festive demand, robust post-Diwali sales, healthy same-store growth, and sharp expansion across international and digital jewellery platforms.

India is on the verge of becoming De Beers’ most significant market for growth, with diamond demand anticipated to double by 2030. In response, De Beers is launching new stores across the country, tapping into the momentum created by a vibrant economy and a burgeoning middle class.

Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone recently signed a $5.6-million agreement with Turkish garment manufacturer Eroglu Moda Tekstil to set up a readymade garments unit in the Qantara West Industrial Zone.
The factory will have an annual capacity of up to a million pieces.
Around 95 per cent of its output will be exported, while the rest will be supplied to the domestic market, the SCZone authority said.

A Deloitte India report aid that jewellery’s role in consumer portfolios is expanding beyond wealth preservation.

The persistent decline in exports in Bangladesh is a warning signal, according to Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue.
He has cautioned that 2026 would be challenging for exporters due to graduation from the least developed country status and the scheduled national election.
Bangladesh may struggle to meet its export target for the current fiscal, he noted.

The Government Institute of Leather and Footwear Technology in India’s Punjab state recently signed an MoU with Meerut-based MSME Process and Product Development Centre to open an extension centre of the latter in Jalandhar.
The planned centre would offer facilities for testing, training, skill development and research to meet evolving global standards.

Young buyers are flocking to gold and silver coins. Small gold coins, even under a gram, are becoming popular. Silver coins are also seeing increased demand. This trend is boosting production. Despite higher prices, young investors see these metals as a valuable asset. Physical gold and silver offer easy accumulation and liquidation.