The textile industry did not perform poorly in 2022, despite the uncertainty prevailing at the general level and, above all, the energy costs in the finishing sub-sector. And for most of the year, the good performance of exports and the extraordinary moment experienced by tourism, increase your turnover by 13.2%, especially for companies in the Valencian Community concentrated in the cluster formed by l’Alcoià, El Comtat and la Vall d’Albaida. The renovation of hotels and restaurants, which came to a standstill during the pandemic process, was decisive in reaching 2 billion 275 million euros in turnover.. In this context, the sector has been examining the situation of different international markets, whose demand has started to slow down due to inflation or the end of 2012, at the Frankfurt fair, as of this Tuesday. interest rate hike
The celebration of Heimtextil, the home textiles and contract major trade fair, which has recovered after a two-year hiatus due to Covid, coincided with the publication of the industry’s results in the year just ended. And the balance is more than positive, because turnover exceeded that achieved in 2019Before the pandemic broke out, it was set at 2,016 million euros.
One of the reasons that led to this remarkable increase was exports, which reached 1,103 million euros, an increase of 6% compared to 916 three years ago. Countries like France, Portugal or Italy top the list of main destinationsThe United States is also gaining market share. Imports, on the other hand, remained at 1 billion 605 million euros, with a notable increase of no less than 20.6%.
This Another element that has decisively contributed to improving results is the withdrawal of the contract.t had been reduced to a minimum with the onset of the health crisis. The return of tourism, which once again reached similar levels as in 2019 last year, has led to the return of reforms in both hotels and catering businesses; sheets, duvets, cushions or upholstery for sofas and chairs.
The Jover Group from Cocentaina is one of the companies dedicated to this market. Its manager, Francisco Jover, points out that the activity has indeed returned to its merits and this has had a positive impact. “The problem – he describes it – is electricity and gas costs, which have skyrocketed and drastically reduced profit margins. It’s a real drama for some companies.”
So how is 2023 presented? Pepe Serna, president of the Valencia Community Textile Entrepreneurs Association (Ateval) and the Spanish Intertextile Council, points out that uncertainty continues to be high in international markets. there was already a slowdown in exports in the last period of last year. In his own words, “Financial costs are rising and the purchasing power of families is declining due to inflation. Considering that ours are not staple products, things are not looking good.”
In any case, 50 companies from l’Alcoià, El Comtat and Vall d’Albaida, who were displaced to the Frankfurt fair, are coming to the Frankfurt fair from this Tuesday with optimism, where 2,300 exhibitors from fifty countries met. A good barometer to learn the real state of the industry, which was very lively on the first day.