Pakistan's mill body APTMA and the Chainstore Association of Pakistan (CAP) have opened a joint import-substitution programme targeting the merchandise local retailers currently source from abroad, with a first Manufacturing Retail Working Session held at APTMA House in Lahore.

The session brought retail brands and textile manufacturers to the same table — a direct link between Pakistan's upstream spinning-and-weaving tier and domestic fast-fashion chains that have historically placed orders with regional suppliers.

The initiative carries an export target as well as an import-substitution one. It forms part of APTMA Patron-in-Chief Dr Gohar Ejaz's stated ambition to lift Pakistan's textile exports by $3 billion within 12 months, and by as much as $10 billion over the next few years.

What did the working session cover?

Participants worked through the mechanics of shifting retail sourcing to local mills. According to APTMA, the agenda covered:

• Retailers' sourcing needs and where domestic capacity can absorb them
• Sampling bottlenecks
• Quality requirements
• Pricing competitiveness against imported merchandise
• Minimum order quantities
• Delivery lead times

Minimum order quantities and sampling speed are the two friction points that most often push emerging retail brands toward import channels. Placing them on the agenda signals that both sides treat the current supplier structure, not the products, as the barrier to localisation.

Is there an export dimension?

Yes. Beyond replacing imported goods on domestic shelves, the initiative also aims to help Pakistani fashion brands reach international markets. For mills, that would extend the programme from a domestic-substitution play into a route for established chainstore brands to build export volumes — consistent with Ejaz's $3 billion near-term export goal.

What decision does this force on sourcing teams?

For sourcing and merchandising heads at Pakistani chainstores, the working session creates a live alternative to import purchase orders. Buyers now have a structured channel through CAP to benchmark local mills on price, quality and lead time against their current offshore suppliers — beginning with the categories where sampling and MOQ terms can be renegotiated.

For suppliers, the message is compliance-oriented: brands will trial local capacity only where sampling turnaround, consistent quality and delivery reliability match what import channels already deliver. The $3 billion export target gives the programme a measurable deadline — 12 months — against which both the working sessions and any resulting order shifts will be judged.