Kingdom to see price increases on winter apparel — stakeholder

AMMAN — The prices of winter clothes in the Kingdom will rise by at least 5-10 per cent, due to the global skyrocketing freight costs, according to a stakeholder.

Muneer Deyeh, former president of Jordan's Textile and Readymade Clothes Syndicate, said that “winter clothing collections are set to increase in price not only in Jordan but globally”, adding that freight costs of merchandise coming from China and Southeast Asia will be the most expensive.

“The new price hikes will affect traders, retailers and buyers,” Hala Abdullah, the owner of a clothing shop in Amman, told The Jordan Times. 

She added that delivery schedules “may also go haywire”.

Most people working in the industry she knows are “confused and nervous about the situation”, Abdullah added.

Hashem Mohammad, an employee in an apparel store, told The Jordan Times that reducing the sales tax on clothes will let stakeholders have the ability to adjust their merchandise to withstand the freight crisis’ effect.

“Most of our store’s merchandise is from China and if we increase our prices, we may lose some of our customers,” Mohammad said.

“This was unnecessary especially amid a global crisis. Now, we have two crises to address,” he added.

Batoul Muamar, a young Jordanian citizen, said that she is not planning to buy anything for winter. She added that the price hikes will “for sure” have a reverse impact on Jordanians’ purchasing power.