Dhaka rubble reveals high textile margins

Order dockets found in the rubble of the Dhaka garment factory that collapsed recently killing more than 1,100 workers show just why it pays foreign stores to buy from Bangladesh — clothes made for as little as a tenth of what they sell for in the West.

Order dockets found in the rubble of the Dhaka garment factory that collapsed recently killing more than 1,100 workers show just why it pays foreign stores to buy from Bangladesh — clothes made for as little as a tenth of what they sell for in the West.

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Rana Plaza supplied big names in global retail and documents were plucked from its ruins by labour activists. In one case, polo shirts of a brand sold in London for $46 were offered for sale for just $4.45, a typical transformation in an industry where manufacturers across Asia and retailers in Europe and North America are locked in war to get catwalk trends faster and cheaper, to consumers.