Central America lures sportswear makers as Adidas shifts to complement China

Sportswear producers such as Adidas are turning to Central America to complement China as a source for apparel as the region’s proximity to the United States allows for quick turnaround of orders during peak seasons.

With China’s garment factories producing more for its own growing middle class and wages there rising, companies have begun moving production back to countries within Central America and the Caribbean that also benefit from duty-free access to the US market.

Adidas, the world’s second-biggest sporting goods maker, plans to increase fivefold to about 45 million items a year by 2015 its production in the region.

Original source: Bloomberg