Changjiang Securities·2025-08-10 13:44Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Positive" investment rating for the textile, apparel, and luxury goods industry [12]. Core Insights - The inventory cycle is a significant phenomenon in economic operations, reflecting changes in market supply and demand relationships and companies' adaptability to market environments. The cycle typically consists of four stages: proactive restocking, passive accumulation, proactive destocking, and passive destocking. The transition from proactive destocking to proactive restocking is expected to catalyze stock prices and valuation levels for brand companies [3][6]. - The textile and apparel industry generally experiences a cycle of destocking to restocking or accumulation lasting 1-3 years. Currently, the accumulation phase has persisted for over a year. With stable retail growth and favorable policies, it is anticipated that the industry will enter a destocking phase by Q3 2025, leading to potential upward movement in stock prices and valuations [8][9]. Summary by Sections Inventory Cycle Overview - The inventory cycle can be divided into four stages: proactive restocking, passive accumulation, proactive destocking, and passive destocking. Key indicators include GDP growth, apparel retail growth, and inventory year-on-year (yoy) changes, which reflect demand conditions and inventory trends [6][20]. - The report identifies four notable destocking to restocking phases from 2012 to present: Q4 2014 to Q1 2016, Q3 2017 to Q1 2019, Q2 2020 to Q4 2022, and Q1 2023 to Q1 2025 [23][26]. Current Inventory Cycle Status - The current inventory situation is relatively controllable, with significant inventory clearance achieved in 2023. Although retail performance has been weak since Q2 2024, overall inventory levels remain healthy. The future progress of the inventory cycle will depend on terminal retail performance [9][10]. - Retail levels are stable, with a reported 1.9% year-on-year increase in sales for clothing and footwear in June 2025. Despite some fluctuations, the retail sector is expected to improve gradually, particularly in H2 2025 [9][10]. Brand Performance and Market Outlook - The report highlights that the brand sector typically experiences a beta market phase during the late proactive destocking to passive destocking stages, correlating closely with retail growth trends. The retail sector is expected to stabilize in Q3 2024, with potential improvements in Q1 2025 as the base effects diminish [9][10]. - The sportswear sector is currently experiencing a weak beta market, with domestic brands expected to outperform international counterparts. The demand for functional and specialized products remains weak, leading brands to seek new market channels and product categories [10].