Scandinavian Clothing Retailers' Global Sourcing Patterns and Practices

This paper is the second in a series of three dealing with EU clothing retail sectors' global sourcing patterns, and the changing sourcing strategies of leading actors. Its focus is on Denmark and Sweden. It provides an overview of the specificities of the Danish and Swedish clothing retail scenes and of the import trades into the two countries. In then presents the results of a survey of 10 leading Scandinavian retailers undertaken in mid-2002. The results cover their sourcing geographies, sourcing channels, the nature of their supply bases, their expectations concerning suppliers and their selection criteria for new countries and new suppliers. A conclusion summarises and discusses the major similarities and differences between the results obtained and those from a similar study undertaken in the UK in 2001. An Appendix present comprehensive clothing import data for the two countries.