2021 Forecast - Dangee Carken: Grit and support have kept us going

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA - It’s been an incredibly challenging year. The nervousness and uncertainty has been very unsettling. Disappointingly the financial institutions haven’t been much help either. Due to sheer grit and unbelievable support from our suppliers and service providers and our vast experience in forward planning, we have managed to achieve remarkable numbers over the past three months. I believe this is testament to our intense market knowledge and superb brands that we have developed over the last 10 years. Our investment in social media, now over 1.5 million followers, has been game changing -  especially with the dramatic move to ecommerce. I am very proud to say our order book for W21 is back to normal levels. 

 

The changes were substantial , we reduced staff and cut any unnecessary expenses. We bought only what we required and managed stock levels to absolute minimums. We implemented a world class ERP system and refined our throughput with remarkable efficiency. The brand owners focused on what they do best -  fashion and value, delivering precisely what the market required. We were fortunate to find winners early in the season and repeated them throughout the year, to great effect.

 

Consumers won’t be better off. How can they be? We have an additional 1 million+ people that are unemployed and chances are won't come back into the mainstream for many years to come. It is fundamental that the government implements stimulus packages and roots out the endemic corruption, destroying business confidence. Business needs support from government and finance institutions. This three-way pact will do wonders to grow our economy and give back work to the unemployed.

 

It will be a tough year for the industry, with unemployment at record levels, how can it be good? However, with the industry on its knees, there will be the few that have adapted to the new normal, driving product, technology, speed and innovation. I predict a new emergence of innovative supply. These few will drive the industry to new exciting possibilities. Dangee|Carken plans to be at the forefront of the change.