S&V Weekly Newsletter Vol.10 No.23, June 03 2024

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‘Shein products contain high levels of toxic chemicals,’ says South Korea

According to a report from Agence France-Presse (AFP), the South Korean Government has accused online retailer Shein of selling products, including leather handbags, belts and children’s shoes, containing toxic chemicals. The report reads:

Children's products sold by the Chinese-founded online shopping giant Shein contained toxic substances in amounts hundreds of times above acceptable levels, the government of South Korea's capital Seoul said Tuesday.
      Shein, headquartered in Singapore, has skyrocketed in popularity around the world in recent years, offering a vast selection of trendy clothes and accessories at stunningly low prices.
      This explosive growth has also led to increased scrutiny of its business practices and safety standards, including in the European Union and South Korea - where Seoul authorities have been conducting weekly inspections of items sold by platforms including Shein, Temu and AliExpress.
      In the latest round, they selected eight products sold by Shein, including children's shoes, leather bags and a belt and found several to contain high amounts of phthalates - chemicals used to soften plastics.
      One pair of shoes contained 428 times the permitted levels of phthalates - the highest observed so far during the Seoul inspections - and three bags had amounts as high as 153 times the limit, the city government said.
      Phthalates are widely used to soften plastic and are found in thousands of products including containers, beauty products and toys. However, they have been known for decades to cause hormone disruptions and have been linked to obesity, heart disease, some cancers and fertility problems.
      Seoul city official Park Sang-jin told AFP that they have requested a removal of these products from sale, and said that since the city began inspections in April, most platforms have complied with such requests.
      AFP has reached out to Shein for comment.       So far, Seoul authorities said they have inspected 93 products and found that almost half of them contained toxic substances. These items include children's watches and colouring pencils.
      Last month, the European Union added Shein to its list of digital firms that are big enough to come under stricter safety rules - including measures to protect customers from unsafe products, especially those that could be harmful to minors.
      Shein and Temu have followed Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba in challenging Amazon, especially by making inroads in the US market.

“From this we can conclude that product coming into South Africa is no different and for that matter from other equivalent online suppliers such as TEMU. This is very disturbing to read,” said Jirka Vymětal of SAFLIA. “I will be taking this up with Government.”

And more pressure from SAFLIA on SA Government to control Temu, Shein

Umhlanga, KZN, SA - Online retailers Temu and Shein are undercutting local retailers in part because they’re not paying all the tax on products they should be, SAFLIA executive director Jirka Vymĕtal said on Friday.
      “Investigating their products, we discovered that SARS has a standard import duty on small parcels of 20%,” he said. “The minimum duty on footwear is 30%.
      “On top of that, there’s no VAT. So the government is losing 25% in tax, and local retailers are being undercut by the same amount. Urgent intervention is needed.”

Trading conditions – in short, not good

Greg Bing, A.P. Jones
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Business is terrible.
      We have had a very warm and dry May, and a shop full of jerseys and other warm winter ware, and that has had a major impact on our trade. Only in the last 48 hours has it started getting cold and wet.
      There has been a lot of scepticism about the elections, and combined with the weather, people have gone into their shells.


Kamlesh Chagan, American Clothing/The Vault
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Trade is shocking, and I don’t know quite what to put it down to – the elections? – people spending more on groceries?
      What hasn’t helped is the very good weather until a couple of days ago.
      Also, too much product in the marketplace, and the chains murdering the independents. They’re already on winter clearance sales, which doesn’t help us.
      Online sales by Temu, Shein – offerings and prices affect the retailers.
      Suppliers are only interested in businesses doing the numbers.
      There’s no obvious silver lining, but hopefully the cooler weather will help sales of knitwear, jackets and so on.
      However, we carry on. My father started this business in 1964/65, and I’ve been in it for 38 years.


Deepak Nathoo, Empiro
Durban, KZN, SA – Business is steady under tough conditions. The brands out of Europe that we have been stocking are now entering the market themselves, and we have to find alternative sources and brands.
      The entire business model for independents has to change to stay relevant.
      There has been a rise in mono-brand stores globally – here, London, anywhere else you go, you see the same brands on the high streets, and the independents have been pushed to the outskirts. Yes, they’re surviving, but we have to change.

Leaving the industry

Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Froggie Western Cape agent Desmond Swartz is leaving the footwear industry at the end of this month to go full time into the ministry. He is doing it with Froggie’s blessing.

In case you missed it!

The latest issue of S&V Protect Magazine

CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT ONLINE

S&V PROTECT MAGAZINE VOL18 NO2 SECOND QUARTER 2024

IN THIS ISSUE:

03 Upfront
- Online from China: Noncompliant footwear, respiratory protection products slip in undetected.

05 OHS in Focus
- Be mentally prepared for emergencies, advises Leighton Bennett, Benrisk Consulting, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA. At home, at work, take time to practise your reaction to potential dangers.

07 Safety in Construction
- The long overdue overhaul of South African construction health and safety, by Professor John Smallwood, Professor of Construction Management, Department of Construction Management, Nelson Mandela University.

13 Housekeeping
- Pristine spaces promote wellbeing, writes Francois van Zyl, GM of Broll Specialised Services.

14 Standards
- ASTM International shows how standards underpin sustainability efforts, and devises a standard for ‘deadly’ beach umbrellas.

15 Competition
- Master Builders Association North Regional Safety Competition.

17 Water
- South Africa’s water crisis – a call to action for climate-resilient solutions, by Robert Erasmus of Sanitech.

18 Workwear
- Pioneering protection: The evolution of Da Gama’s D59 workwear fabrics, by Janice Roberts, Technical Projects Manager, Da Gama Textiles.

19 Innovation
- Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Helmet with vibration sensor for excavator drivers.
- Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Sensor measures oxygen content of breath.
- Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Web platform and app aim to improve quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease.

23 Buyers' Guide
- What's on offer.

Advertisers in this Issue
Kaliber (02), Palm Footwear/Terrapod (OFC), Rainbow Group (06), Rebel SafetyGear (04), S&V Calendar (this page), S&V Directory (12), SAFLEC (03).

They Said It

"Wow!  A week to prepare – how much do you want to bet that I’ll still be doing it last minute????? LOL 😃 I’ll get something to you." - Deborah Taylor, MD of the Sustainable Leather Foundation, and a monthly contributor to S&V African Leather. I’d like to think there WASN’T a hint of sarcasm in her reply, although Heaven knows it would be deserved.

Got anything you'd like to share?

Do you have any suggestions, comments or experiences about the industry that you'd like to share with the industry? - tony@svmag.co.za

New subscribers last week

Paul, Director, Pienaar Brothers, Mpumalanga , South Africa
Nelson Nemaranzhe, Safety Consultant, SHERQ Symposiumz, South Africa
Stanford Gwanzura, Director, Prestige Leathers, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Kyomuhangi Joan, Joanjilly mobile solutions, Namangoma, Uganda

Birthdays this week

03/06/1957: Ada 'Vymie' Vymetal, retired, formerly Rhodesian Bata Shoe Co., Eddels and SA Bureau of Standards, Pretoria, Gauteng, SA.
03/06/1958: Tom Bailey, Bolton Footwear, Great Brak River, W. Cape, SA.
04/06/1946: Hamish Whyte, Welbourne Shoes, Robertson, W. Cape, SA.
04/06/1956: Romualdo Varela, left SA, formerly Zenda, Pretoria.
05/06/1929: Hannes Louw, retired, formerly KKI, Mossel Bay, W. Cape, SA.
05/06/1960: Tom Bassage, CC Leather, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
06/06/1951: Yusuf Mayet, Come Duze Store, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
06/06/1963: José Leite, SA Polymers & Compounds, Gillitts, KZN, SA.
06/06/1966: Owen Mathers, Max-Cowell, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.
07/06/1959: Anton Klopper, Kloppers, Bloemfontein, Free State, SA.
07/06/1984: Clenton Govender, Prisaan Footwear (closed), Pinetown, KZN, SA.
08/06/1955: Brad Lemkus, retired, formerly Hi-Tec, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
08/06/1958: Sandra Young, left the industry, formerly Archilles Engineering [closed]. Benoni.
09/06/1957: Willem Fourie, Images, Bloemfontein, Free State, SA.
09/06/1989: Noushard Mahomed Hoosen, Paris Belts, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
   

In memoriam this week

03/06/2016: Joop de Voest (b. 21/01/1954), Marketing & Planning Consulting Services, De Rust, W. Cape, SA.
04/06/2002: Rex Phillipson (b. 13/4/1917), Picaninni Shoes [closed], Durban, KZN, SA.
06/06/2001: Willem Elbers (b. 09/04/1941), East Cape Tanning [closed]/BASF, Uitenhage, E. Cape, SA.
06/06/2002: Willie Compion (b. 21/10/1929), G&D Shoes [closed], Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
06/06/2013: Willem Lubbe (b.25/01/1925), AP Lubbe & Son [closed], Stellenbosch, W. Cape, SA.
09/06/2002: Howard ‘Snowy’ Vaubell, Crown Footwear, Pinetown, KZN, SA.
09/06/2003: Dr Stanley Shuttleworth (b. 1911), LIRI [closed] founder, Grahamstown, E. Cape, SA.

Have you let us know about your birthday, or the birthdays of your colleagues? Our readers love this section, so please become part of it. This also applies to the In Memoriam section. Help us remember former colleagues.

Directory entries updated this week

Empiro [Hollywood 2000 cc], Umhlanga, KZN, SA.
Surf Action/The Blue Cool Surfshop [Wave Action cc], Margate/Ramsgate, KZN, SA.

3. Malawian Kwacha (MWK) (buying)

Source: https://www.rbm.mw/

4. Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) (buying)

Source: https://www.boz.zm/

5. Zimbabwe Dollar (ZWL$) (average) / Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG)

Source: Source: https://www.rbz.co.zw/

Note: For previous rates, see HERE

ABSA Agri Trends: Hides & skins prices

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (31 May 2024) - The average hide price increased by 0.6% to 3.20/kg from R3.10/kg a week ago. The current price is 0.4% lower than the average price a month ago and 11.4% lower than the average price a year ago. The range of prices reported was as follows: Minimum price: R3.00 Maximum price: R3.25. Price movements will be highly influenced by developments in the status of our animal diseases. Please note: Our methodology weighs the prices we collect according to the number of hides they sell in a month. This is done to make it more representative of the prevailing market price. NB* Hide prices are determined by the average of the RMAA (Red Meat Abattoir Association) and independent companies. - Marlene Louw, senior agricultural economist, and Nkhensani Mashimbyi, agricultural economist, and Zama Sangweni, agricultural economist, Absa group.

Note: For previous prices, see HERE

Have a look at these links

We invite businesses to send us links to websites, Facebook pages and the like which they feel would be of interest to others. The links below are from our database:

Surf Boyz, Port Shepstone, KZN, SA. Surf retailer.
Surfers Centre, Ballito, KZN, SA. Surf retailer.

THIS WEEK LAST YEAR!

Hannitan announced they were opening a second plant in Atlantis outside Cape Town.

Mohamed Vanker of Tego Footwear lamented the irony of consumer proclivity for buying cheap fake imported goods, whilst crying for jobs.

SENS reported that Pepkor Holdings Ltd's profit was down but market share was up.

SENS reported ‘Strong performance for the year ended 31 March 2023’ for Richemont

READ IT HERE - S&V WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VOL.9 NO.23, JUNE 5 2023

THIS WEEK FIVE YEARS AGO!!

Most retailers once again reported a bad, tough and poor week of trading. Fortunately for Mohamed Vadee, May trade at his Rustenburg stores had been steady, with a bit of a rush at month end.

Ebrahim Vayej MD of Vayej Brothers (Pty) Ltd, which traded as American Menswear and Street Gear, announced that the company had gone into liquidation.

Other recent closures in KZN included Brands Unlimited, Classic Menswear, and Le Class/Hip Hop Closet/Street Image in Durban, and BJ Outfitters in Empangeni.

SAFLIA announced that it was 'satisfied with' CTFL 'Masterplan'.

SAFLIA executive director Jirka Vymetal released a statement on wage negotiations.

Pepkor results: Apparel was up 5.2%

READ IT HERE - S&V WEEKLY NEWSLETTER VOL.5 NO.22, JUNE 3, 2019

NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

All the past S&V Weekly Newsletters from January 2016 onwards are available in the newsletter archive.
VIEW THE ARCHIVE - CLICK HERE

Contact us

News & Classifieds: Tony Dickson, +27 (0)31 209 7505, tony@svmag.co.za

Next newsletter: June 10, 2024. Ad and editorial deadline Friday 07 June.

SAFLIA enquiries: Tel 0800SAFLIA * Email info@saflia.co.za * Website http://www.saflia.co.za

Our website www.svmag.co.za