Imports of fur apparel into the U.S. rose sharply in August, continuing this year's solid uptrend following more than two years of monthly decreases.
The latest gain confirmed the trade's need to restock in greater depth as a result of last season's strong windup. But the dollar increase also reflected this year's much higher price structure.
From a unit standpoint - that data not available for comparable items, such as coats this year vs coats last year - the increase was thought to be slight. Significantly, most of the increase was in furs other than mink, an indication that retailers were stocking up on lower-priced items.
Imports from all sources in August jumped 43% to $16.3 million, according to the latest Commerce Dept. data. Interestingly, the mink portion dipped slightly to $5.4 million, while other furs soared 84% to $10.9 million, a rare development. This brought the eight-month total to $60.9 million, an increase of 29% over last year's period.
