The following is a roundup of apparel and footwear news from the world’s local media. just-style has not checked these stories so cannot guarantee their accuracy.

  • US textile company Cone Denim is due to re-start its operations in Nicaragua in 2011, in a move that will initially create 700 new jobs. Executives from the National Free Zone Commission (CNZF) and the Nicaraguan Association of Textiles and Apparel (Anitec) are said to have confirmed the plans. Cone Denim closed its facility in March 2009. LA PRENSA

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  • The Philippine government is eyeing a deal with China to get preferential treatment for high-end Philippine garment exports to the mainland. The Department of Trade and Industry believes there are opportunities for branded items aimed at China’s mid- and high-end markets, as well as children’s wear. The US currently accounts for 81% of Philippine garment exports. GMA NEWS

  • A Chinese state enterprise has launched a $1.5bn mall called the China City Complex in Bangkok, which will exclusively stock products made in China and South-East Asia. The mall, to be built near Suvarnabhumi International Airport, aims to benefit from a free-trade agreement that came into effect between China and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) last year. It hopes to attract 70,000 vendors when it opens in late 2012. DEUTSCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR
  • Vietnamese clothing company Viet Tien Garment JSC is setting up a wholesale agent in China in a bid to boost exports to the country. The wholesale operation will be based in the Quangdong province, and follows similar investments in Cambodia and Laos in the past few years. VIETNAM NEWS BRIEF SERVICE
  • A lack of domestically-grown cotton could make it hard for Kenya’s textile industry to take advantage of phase four of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), which requires eligible sub-Saharan Africa countries to use local materials or those sourced from other developing countries by September 2012. The Cotton Development Authority (CODA) says production has improved in recent years, but cotton ginneries claim there is a serious shortage of the crop. DAILY NATION