South African clothing retailers losing lustre in the face of Shein juggernaut
China-based ultra-low-cost fast fashion retailers are putting the squeeze on local retailers – although Superbalist says its restructuring was not linked to competitor activity. Like many other businesses, it was faced with the reality that growth post-Covid had not reached the levels that had been forecast, the company said. While the research found that shoppers made a comparable number of transactions on retailers like Bash.com as Shein.comin’ June 2023, customers spent 75% more on Shein. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in March announced that it had launched an investigation against Shein but there is no further information on progress yet.