For GQ Fashions in OKC, business is back, but pandemic’s effect on supply chain lingers

Two years back, as the COVID-19 pandemic built its very first effect the state of Oklahoma, Andy Mahbubani had to quickly shut down his family’s clothing shop.

GQ Fashions Great Menswear invested the total thirty day period of April 2020 temporarily shut due to the fact of the pandemic and Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Safer at Residence plan that shuttered nonessential small business.

When he reopened, Mahbubani apprehensive that the organization wouldn’t have the identical level of achievements as right before the shutdown the previous two many years observed double-digit expansion, but GQ Fashions’ business model relies closely on dressing its clients for activities like weddings, prom and church companies. The pandemic struck the occasions business just as tricky, or even harder, than the cafe company.

But two years later, the store at NW 23 and Interstate 44 is still open up. And according to Mahbubani, it is really been active.

“We’ve observed an uptick in terms of persons likely back again to events, likely to parties, weddings, folks are beginning to get married once more. So yeah, we’re undertaking quite nicely really,” he mentioned.

It took a couple months for company to decide again up as men and women felt more at ease with huge gatherings.

Luckily for Mahbubani, GQ Fashions never had the staffing issues that other corporations professional throughout 2020 and 2021. But 1 issue he is operate into consistently is one particular which is staying felt throughout the globe — delays in the provide chain.

China exported nearly $40 billion value of textiles to the United States just before the pandemic makers there frequently provide the brand names uncovered in GQ Fashions.

“Some thing as uncomplicated as a black accommodate or white shirt, you know, have been coming pretty challenging to find,” Mahbubani stated.

He is experimented with to mitigate those concerns by obtaining far more than he requires every time he has the possibility. That is led to an overstock of 30-40%.

“In simple fact, I’m storing things in storage models and warehouses. We’re employing whatever means we can to make certain we have the essential objects that folks need to have,” Mahbubani claimed. “They say ‘make the hay when the sunlight shines,’ right? So when we can get goods, we invest in as substantially as we can.”

Tale carries on

There is certainly no sign that the supply chain problems will conclusion at any time shortly. Along with the lingering consequences of the 1st significant wave of coronavirus that swept by way of China, shuttering factories and delaying shipments worldwide, an additional round of bacterial infections this calendar year has triggered much more shutdowns in the country with demanding lockdown policies made use of for made up of the virus.

For example this thirty day period, China purchased a lockdown of the 9 million citizens of the northeastern town of Changchun amid a spike in COVID-19 conditions in the spot attributed to the highly contagious omicron variant.

“The men and women in the cloth manufacturing facility are performing building material. The people today in the suit manufacturing facility are doing work creating fits. But you cannot get buttons since the province the place the buttons are created is shut down,” he mentioned. “In fact, a good deal of our producers and vendors are looking for strategies to get out of China at this issue for the reason that they’re really rigid on their lockdowns.”

Staff members author Dale Denwalt covers Oklahoma’s economic climate and enterprise information for The Oklahoman. Have a tale idea for Dale? He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @denwalt. Guidance Dale’s function and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital membership these days at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This post originally appeared on Oklahoman: Pandemic’s outcome on provide chain lingers for OKC clothing keep