Aug 5 (Reuters) - The current political unrest in
Bangladesh is expected to disrupt the country's clothing
industry, potentially affecting global apparel retailers from
H&M to Zara as they head into the key holiday season.
    The country has been gripped by violence since July, forcing
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign on Monday and flee the
country after hundreds of people were killed in a crackdown on
demonstrations demanding her ouster.
    Garment factories in the country have been closed
indefinitely. According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers
and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the readymade garment
industry accounts for 83% of the country's total export
earnings.
    Bangladesh was the third-largest exporter of clothing in the
world last year, after China and the European Union, according
to data from the World Trade Organization, exporting $38.4
billion worth of clothes in 2023.
 
      The following table shows Bangladesh's apparel export to
the world:  
  
                       July-May               July-May
           FY 2023-24             FY 2022-23
 Region                           
                                  
                                  
           Total export  % of     Total      % of total
           value         total    export     export
                         export   value      
 European  $21.65 bln    49.4%    $21.22     49.8%
 Union                            bln        
 United    $7.45 bln     17%      $7.73 bln  18.1%
 States                                      
 United    $5.16 bln     11.8%    $4.59 bln  10.8%
 Kingdom                                     
 Canada    $1.387 bln    3.16%    $1.39 bln  3.26%
 Japan     $1.48 bln     3.3%     $1.46 bln  3.4%
  
    The following are some of the main retailers with exposure
to Bangladesh:
    
   ** Swedish apparel retailer H&M sources garments
from about 1,000 factories in Bangladesh, according to a
supplier list on the company's website. The company said on 
Monday that it was "concerned about the developments (in
Bangladesh)." 
   ** Fast-fashion player Zara, owned by Spain-based Inditex
, has 12 manufacturing clusters where 98% of its
production was concentrated in 2022, according to an annual
filing. Bangladesh was one of the manufacturing clusters, the
filing showed.
    The company on Monday declined to comment on the impact of
the political unrest on its business.
   ** Japan-based Fast Retailing, which owns the Uniqlo
banner, sources garments from about 29 factories in Bangladesh. 
   ** Among U.S. apparel makers, VF Corp  has 49
company-owned facilities in Bangladesh, according to the company
website. Levi Strauss has 33 facilities in Bangladesh
according to the company's website.

    Source for export figures: BGMEA

 (Reporting by Juveria Tabassum; Editing by Aishwarya Venugopal
and Anil D'Silva)