Fashion
Logistics now central to strategy, risk, resilience in India: Report
In just a decade, India has expanded its National Highways by 60 per cent, overtaken the United States to become the world’s second largest rail freight carrier and set sights on tripling air cargo capacity by 2030. Ports are on track to push India into the global top five shipping nations, the September 2025 logistics (transportation) update released by the company noted.
Highway construction has accelerated by 2.5 times, from 11.6 km/day in fiscal 2013-14 (FY14) to 29 km/day in FY25, with aspirations of 100 km/day.
Logistics has moved from the backroom to the boardroom, becoming central to strategy, risk and resilience in India, according to a recent report.
In just a decade, India has expanded its National Highways by 60 per cent, overtaken the US to turn the second largest rail freight carrier.
E-commerce is projected to catapult air cargo from $5 billion to $200 billion by 2030.
The length of National High-Speed Corridors (HSC) has increased 26.6 times from 93 km in 2014 to 2,474 km at present
Rail has emerged as a new force in automotive transport: from a 1.5 per cent share a decade ago to nearly 25 per cent today, powered by 170 dedicated rakes and double-decker wagons.
India’s ports handled 1,594 million tonnes in FY25 (6 per cent compounded annual growth rate since FY22), while a $20 billion investment push is set to expand capacity six-fold by 2047.
E-commerce alone is projected to catapult air cargo from $5 billion to $200 billion by 2030, driving demand for freighters and faster handling.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is rolling out a ₹3.4 trillion pipeline of 124 projects spanning 6,376 km, backed by record-high capital expenditure of ₹2.5 trillion in FY25.
But growth is only one side of the story. The other is disruption. The 50-per cent US tariffs are reshaping trade flows, driving a 9-per cent surge in India’s containerised exports in the first half this year before duties kicked in.
Logistics costs have fallen from 16 per cent to nearly 10 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), with the government pushing for single-digit costs by year-end, the report added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
The country imported textile and textile materials worth N 228.83 billion in the first quarter (Q1) this year, N 337.12 billion in Q2 and N 248.32 billion in Q3.
Industry experts blame policy failure, weak execution of credit initiatives, abandonment of promised institutional reforms, pervasive corruption and structural bottlenecks like weak cotton farming, insecurity and the inability to scale locally-produced polyester for the decline, according to Nigerian media reports.
Nigeria’s textile imports rose to N 814.27 billion in January-September 2025—a 47.43-per cent YoY rise despite repeated government claims of the sector’s revival.
Rising imports indicate a weak domestic textile industry.
Industry experts blame policy failure, weak execution of credit initiatives, abandonment of promised institutional reforms, pervasive corruption and structural bottlenecks for the fall.
Hamma Kwajaffa, director general of the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association, lamented that the 10-per cent tax on imported textiles—which was introduced when the ban on textile imports was lifted so that the amount collected can be ploughed into domestic textile production—has not been directed to improve the private textile sector.
Kwajaffa pointed to the failure to create a dedicated textile development fund domiciled with the Bank of Industry.
Conflicting positions among top officials had stalled any action related to the sector and repeated workshops and announcements without execution had yielded no tangible outcome, Kwajaffa added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Published
December 19, 2025
There’s been quite a few end-of-year updates from shopping centres and all of them are upbeat after a busy 2025.
Sheffield’s Meadowhall is one of them, noting it has been a strong year of exchanges on new leases covering 300,000 sq ft of the destination, 80% retail and 20% hospitality, including renewals from 19 tenants.
It said visitor numbers “have also remained consistently high”, headlined by its busiest Black Friday weekend in six years (262,981 visitors across the three days), while October’s school half-term was also the strongest in six years (457,000 visitors representing a 9.7% year-on-year increase).
Meanwhile, commercial brand activations continued to “perform effectively” throughout 2025, including standout initiatives from Trinny London and Jo Malone.
And, of course, new openings and expansions are the lifeblood of any centre with Meadowhall announcing fast-expanding novelty retailer Miniso has just joined its roster while fashion lifestyle brand TK Maxx has extended its presence there, “concluding a strong year of leasing activity and retail performance”.
TK Maxx has added an adjacent unit to create a 19,000 sq ft space, complete with a 173-ft fully-glazed frontage on the Upper Level The Gallery, showcasing its mix of branded fashion, beauty, homeware, and accessories.
Miniso, meanwhile, has opened a 1,759 sq ft store on Lower Level High Street, introducing its range of lifestyle, homeware, and technology products, alongside the brand’s character collections.
These additions follow several major openings in 2025, including beauty majors Sephora and Superdrug.
These introductions round off a period in which several tenants have invested significantly in upgrading and expanding their stores. More than £47 million has been spent by brands alone across 2024 and 2025, with more than a third of Meadowhall’s operators undertaking new fitouts and refurbishments in that time.
Looking ahead to 2026, operator British Land said more than 25 brands have already committed, and will be bringing a further £8 million of investment to the centre.
Louisa Holmes, Asset Director at operator British Land, said: “This year’s level of investment, from new arrivals and long-standing tenants, reflects the confidence brands have in Meadowhall as a critical part of their national portfolio. In addition to that, the centre’s success means our brands are effectively competing to bring the best and latest shop fits and concepts here, elevating the experience for our visitors.”
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