UK and European brands, including Marks & Spencer, Primark, Next, C&A, and Mothercare, have stepped up engagement with Indian manufacturers as free trade agreements with the United Kingdom and European Union move closer to ratification.
Exporters in Tiruppur report an increase in factory visits, technical audits, and discussions about expanding sourcing volumes. “Brands such as M&S, C&A, Primark, Mothercare, Next and Duns have started visiting Tiruppur for technical audits, evaluation of new factories, and to explore the possibility of increasing sourcing from their existing suppliers,” said K.M. Subramanian, President of the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association. “Brands that are already sourcing from India are actively looking to scale up their buying.”
Industry representatives say the renewed activity is driven by anticipated tariff elimination under the proposed FTAs and supply-chain concentration risk. “Buyers such as C&A, which source large volumes of jeans and bottoms, are exploring the possibility of shifting sourcing to India. Some UK buyers also indicated their willingness to move production to India,” said Vijay Agarwal, Chairman of the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council.
Under the proposed India-UK agreement, tariffs on 99% of India’s exports to the UK would be removed following parliamentary ratification. Indian apparel and textiles currently face duties of 12.5% and 9.6%, respectively, in the EU and UK markets.
India’s textiles and apparel exports were valued at $37 billion in 2024-25, with the EU accounting for 19.6% and the UK 5.4% of shipments. Industry bodies caution that production capacity may need to expand if demand accelerates after the agreement takes effect.
Attribution:
This article is based on reporting published in Apparel Resources and The Economic Times. All quotes and data points are attributed to the original sources.
Sources: Apparel Resources: “UK and EU Brands Explore Expanded Apparel Sourcing from India as FTA Ratification Nears”
The Economic Times: “UK & EU apparel brands begin sourcing talks with Indian companies”
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