Lockdown Day 5

A tough day today… had to communicate bad news to Indonesia

I worked out earlier this week that we have now basically got too much stock from Indonesia; with the addition of a container that is already on its way from Java we will have enough stock for about half a season. And the way the shows are falling like flies, it looks as though we will be very lucky to get as much as half a season of sales this year.

So I have had to put the brakes on production with both our partners. This involved difficult and emotional Skype conversations with Tri and Deddy. They have reacted as well as possible, but this is tough news for them… a major interruption to their production which will mean lay-offs and hardship for many.

This is going to be tough for all of us, but at a time like this you realise how much more vulnerable our colleagues in Indonesia are than us here in the UK. We are very lucky that our Government has deep pockets and a strong economy to fund massive state intervention. Sadly the amount of safety-net available to your average Indonesian is pretty slim.