Friday, December 9, 2005

The Hosiery Association Centennial:
In Step With The Industry For 100 Years – There are 7 THA SHOPPING DAYS left until the holidays are upon us. Give your employees, coworkers, friends in the industry a unique piece of hosiery history. Purchase copies of THA’s centennial publication . This is the only commemorative book that captures the Association’s 100-year history of leaders, events, programs and services. Information on how to order is available on our web site. ORDER NOW TO GET THEM IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS. These unique gifts and are only available through THA. Requests to have the author, Sally Kay, sign your copy are also being taken via the order form. Visit www.hosieryassociation.com or contact THA staff at 704-365-0913 to obtain your history book order form.

Issues Committee Appointed to Reinforce THA’s Viability:   THA Board of Directors recently appointed an Issues Committee to address industry and environmental factors which impact the Association’s viability. Its first meeting will be held in January. Specifically this group will study and evaluate the following items: the organization’s current mission and vision statements, its position on international trade, enhancing its relationship with the Hosiery Technology Center (HTC) on standards and testing procedures, restructuring a statistical program, state and federal lobbying strategies, diversifying networking opportunities and crafting an industry-wide publicity program.  A committee proposed plan of action will be presented to the Board at its April 27, 2006 meeting in Savannah, GA. The Committee consists of the following: Committee Chairman, Bill Redding of Acme-McCrary Corporation; Bobby Cole of Prewett Associated Mills; Bruce Duncan of Sara Lee Hosiery; Eddie Ingle of Unifi; Bill Nichol of Kentucky Derby Hosiery; Kevin Toomey of Golden Lady/Kayser-Roth Corporation and Mark Zerona of Shogren Hosiery. All members are encouraged to share their views with any and/or all of these members throughout this process.

AL & TN Chapters Christmas Party: The combined chapters Christmas party is TONIGHT at The Chattanoogan in Chattanooga, TN. The holiday event begins at 6:00 p.m. with a Happy Hour, Dinner at 7:00 p.m. and dancing from 8:00 p.m. until midnight (all times are Eastern). Live entertainment is being provided by “Still Kickin,” a local band from Dekalb County Alabama.

Make Plans to Attend THA’s Marketing Conference, which will be held January 23 and 24, 2006 at the Marriott Executive Park in Charlotte, NC. Guest speakers include Columbia Business School’s Clifford Schorer who will address leveraging innovations and transforming industries. Robin Lewis, a strategic analyst and consultant, specializing in identifying opportunities and developing growth strategies in marketing, brand positioning and distribution primarily on the branded apparel and retail industries. He also writes and publishes the monthly Robin Reports. Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run International, a global program that instills healthy physical and mental principles for girls in grades 3 – 8. Molly was recognized as Charlotte 2004 Woman of the Year and will be featured in next month’s issue of O Magazine.

THA’s 101 st Annual Convention: The 2006 Annual Convention will be held April 27-30 at The Mulberry Inn located in Savannah, GA. Detailed information regarding the program, speakers, and hotel registration will be available in the January/February issue of Hosiery News and also will soon be posted on the THA website. Hotel reservations can be made now by calling The Mulberry Inn at 877-468-1200 and specifying the “THA room block.” Room rates are $169/night (single or double). The DEADLINE for making room reservations is Monday, March 27. So make your hotel reservations now to ensure that you get THA’s special convention rate. Information on how to register for the convention will soon be available. Stay tuned for updated information.

NEW Chapter Officers for 2006: CHA – President, Angie Marshburn of Moretz Inc.; Vice President, Mac Cheek of Regal Manufacturing Company Inc.; and Secretary/Treasurer, Kevin Huitt of Huitt Mills Inc. AL – President, Bob Thomas of V.I. Prewett & Sons Inc.; Vice President, Eddy Everett of Ben Mar Hosiery; and Program Chairman, Jody Goggans of Plainsman Hosiery Inc. TN – Sean O’Brien of Charleston Hosiery Inc. will continue to serve as Chapter President for 2006 also.

2006 CHA Luncheon Sponsorship opportunities are still available. If your company is interested in sponsoring any of the 2006 CHA luncheons, please contact Mike Austell at 704-365-0913 ext 204. Call early before all dates are taken. All luncheons are held on the 4 th Thursday of the month and alternate between Hickory (Feb, Apr, Aug & Oct)* and Greensboro (Jan, Mar, May & Sept)*. *Please note that the months have been switched for the Hickory and Greensboro sites to avoid past conflicts.

IN REMEMBRANCE: RadiciGroup sadly announces that Mr. Gianni Radici died on October 5 in Leffe ( Bergamo - Italy) at the age of 81, after a long illness. Gianni Radici had been President and CEO of RadiciGroup till the middle of the 90s and then honorary President of this chemical and textile group he inherited in the 40s from his father Pietro.

Elred W. Forbis or “Rod” as he was known to all passed away on Thursday, December 2. He was 66 years old. Rod was Vice President of Fairey Finishing Plant Inc. for 37 years. He was a graduate of Duke University, a Navy pilot and an avid hunter and fisherman. He leaves a wife, three sons (Andy and Richard also worked for Fairey Finishing) and four grandchildren.

Looking For Your 2006 Pocket Calendars? Many of you have requested the 2006 THA pocket calendars. Unfortunately, 2005 was the last edition as we had no sponsors offer to help us in underwriting the costs. If someone is interested in helping us continue this tradition, please contact Vicki Camp at the THA office, 704-365-0913, ext. 216 or email vicki.camp@hosieryassociation.com.

Retail Shares Slumping into December: Cash strapped consumers continue to hurt trendy, icon driven stores like Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) and Nordstrom Inc. (NYSE: JWN) that have suffered due to a heavily promotion driven holiday season. Published reports indicate American consumers might have over done it on more than turkey this Thanksgiving. Busy, high volume sales at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) during the Thanksgiving weekend appear to be the high-water mark for the season. Retailers are reportedly expected to continue aggressive price promotions throughout December, which could stymie retail profit margins despite volume selling.

Online Retailing – Clicks, Bricks and Bargains: The internet was supposed to batter traditional retailers. Instead they are coming to dominate it. IT'S a new phenomenon called "Cyber Monday". On November 28th millions of Americans returned to work after the Thanksgiving holiday and fired up their office computers to take advantage of high-speed internet links and continue the arduous task of hunting for Christmas presents. Visits to some retail websites more than doubled and Visa reported that online spending by its card-holders grew by 26% compared with the same day a year ago.

Chinese Bank Card First Accepted in US: A swipe of a card at Macy's in New York City on Monday by Liu Tinghuan, chairman of China UnionPay, marked the first-ever acceptance of a Chinese bank card in the United States. During a ceremony this morning at the famous Macy's Herald Square in New York City, Liu purchased a golden necktie with a China UnionPay (CUP) bank card. The transaction marked the beginning of acceptance of China UnionPay cards on the Discover's PULSE network.

China Textile Agreement Legwear Fact Sheet: THA has created a fact sheet which specifies the HTS numbers and the 2006-2008 import limits for the socks and sheers categories. Please contact the THA office at 704-365-0913 or hosierytha@aol.com if you would like to receive a copy of this information.

FTC Amends Textile Rules to Reflect Sock Labeling Change: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a final rule amending the Rules and Regulations under the Textile Fiber Products Identification Act (Textile Rules) to reflect the specific requirements for the disclosure of country of origin of socks contained in the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004. Effective March 3, 2006, the following requirements will be applicable to socks included within HTSUS 6115.92.90, 6115.93.90, 6115.99.18, 6111.20.60, 6111.30.50, and 6111.90.50, as in effect on September 1, 2003. The country of origin label must always be placed on the front of the package. If size information for the product also appears on the front of the package, the country of origin marking must be adjacent to the size information for the product. If no size information appears on the package or if the size information appears on the back of the package, the country of origin marking must still be placed on the front of the package. The country of origin marking must be set forth in a manner that is clearly legible, conspicuous, and readily accessible to the consumer, and must be as indelible or permanent as the nature of the article or package will permit. For socks that are not fully enclosed in a package, but are banded together by a label or hangtag, the country of origin marking must be placed on the front of the label or tag. Socks included in a package that also contains other types of goods (e.g., a baby outfit that includes socks as well as other items of clothing) are excepted from these requirements, but such packages of multiple items must comply with other relevant subsections of the Textile Rules.

Revised Customs Pact Takes Effect on February 3: This week the US deposited its instrument of accession to the Protocol of Amendment to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (revised Kyoto Convention). Among the key elements of this protocol, which will take effect on February 3, 2006, are: use of pre-arrival information to drive programs of selective controls; risk management techniques, including risk assessment and selectivity of controls; maximum use of automated systems; coordinated interventions with other agencies; making information on customs requirements, laws, rules, and regulations easily available; providing a system of appeals in customs matters; and formal consultative relationships with trade communities. The World Customs Organization (WCO) will establish a Management Committee to administer the Convention and ensure that its provisions take account of new international developments, including further trade facilitation measures and trade security initiatives. The US and 40 other contracting parties will attend the first meeting of the committee on March 6-7, 2006.

2006 Import Limits for Ukraine: CITA has announced the establishment of quotas for imports of certain wool textile products produced or manufactured in Ukraine and exported during the period beginning on January 1, 2006, and extending through December 31, 2006. The quota for category 435 is being reduced for carryforward applied to the 2005 quota. The 2006 quotas may be revised if Ukraine becomes a member of the WTO and the US applies the WTO agreement to it.

United States and Peru Conclude Free Trade Agreement: The United States and Peru announced this week that they have concluded their work on a bilateral free trade agreement. This comprehensive trade agreement will eliminate tariffs and other barriers to goods and services and expand trade between the United States and Peru. The United States will continue to negotiate with Colombia and Ecuador in an effort to broaden the trade agreement. In 2004, total two- way goods trade with Peru was $5.8 billion. The three Andean countries collectively represent a market of over $8 billion for U.S. exports, and are home to close to $8 billion in U.S. foreign direct investment.

New Website to Provide Info on Chinese Standards: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a $250,000 matching grant to support the development of an American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-sponsored US/China Standards Portal. This website will provide online educational materials on the Chinese and US standards systems, as well as translated titles and scopes of up to 1,000 selected standards used in each of the two nations. The site is anticipated to be operational by the third quarter of 2006. According to NIST, standards influence an estimated 80% of global merchandise trade. These technical requirements, which range in scope from specific types of products to organizational management and quality systems, may occasionally pose market entry barriers to merchandise and services exported by other nations. Standards-related issues are a significant concern among US businesses competing in the Chinese market. In a recent survey of members of the US-China Business Council, standards ranked sixth among the top 10 concerns of US companies, up from eighth a year earlier.

The contents printed in this document are informational in nature. They are gathered from various industry sources and do not necessarily reflect the views and/or actions of THA.

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