Clothing and Clothing Accessories Merchant Wholesalers
Description
This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of clothing and clothing accessories. Illustrative Examples: Baby bottles merchant wholesalers Diapers (except disposable) merchant wholesalers Dresses merchant wholesalers Fur clothing merchant wholesalers Handbags merchant wholesalers Hosiery merchant wholesalers Lingerie merchant wholesalers Millinery merchant wholesalers Nightwear merchant wholesalers Outerwear merchant wholesalers Sportswear merchant wholesalers Swimwear merchant wholesalers
Hierarchy
| Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 42 | Wholesale Trade 2-digit sector | The Sector as a Whole The Wholesale Trade sector comprises establishments engaged in wholesaling merchandise, generally without transformation, and rendering services incidental to the sale of merchandise. The merchandise described in this sector includes the outputs of agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and certain information industries, such as publishing. The wholesaling process is an intermediate step in the distribution of merchandise. Wholesalers are organized to sell or arrange the purchase or sale of (a) goods for resale (i.e., goods sold to other wholesalers or retailers), (b) capital or durable nonconsumer goods, and (c) raw and intermediate materials and supplies used in production. Wholesalers sell merchandise to other businesses and normally operate from a warehouse or office. These warehouses and offices are characterized by having little or no display of merchandise. In addition, neither the design nor the location of the premises is intended to solicit walk-in traffic. Wholesalers do not normally use advertising directed to the general public. Customers are generally reached initially via telephone, in-person marketing, or by specialized advertising that may include Internet and other electronic means. Follow-up orders are either vendor-initiated or client-initiated, generally based on previous sales, and typically exhibit strong ties between sellers and buyers. In fact, transactions are often conducted between wholesalers and clients that have long-standing business relationships. This sector comprises two main types of wholesalers: merchant wholesalers that sell goods on their own account and agents and brokers that arrange sales and purchases for others generally for a commission or fee. (1) Establishments that sell goods on their own account are known as wholesale merchants, distributors, jobbers, drop shippers, and import/export merchants. Also included as wholesale merchants are sales offices and sales branches (but not retail stores) maintained by manufacturing, refining, or mining enterprises apart from their plants or mines for the purpose of marketing their products, and group purchasing organizations primarily purchasing and selling goods on their own account. Merchant wholesale establishments typically maintain their own warehouse, where they receive and handle goods for their customers. Goods are generally sold without transformation, but may include integral functions, such as sorting, packaging, labeling, and other marketing services. (2) Establishments arranging for the purchase or sale of goods owned by others or purchasing goods, generally on a commission basis are known as business-to-business electronic markets, agents and brokers, commission merchants, import/export agents and brokers, auction companies, group purchasing organizations (acting as agents), and manufacturers' representatives. These establishments operate from offices and generally do not own or handle the goods they sell. Some wholesale establishments may be connected with a single manufacturer and promote and sell the particular manufacturer's products to a wide range of other wholesalers or retailers. Other wholesalers may be connected to a retail chain, or limited number of retail chains, and only provide a variety of products needed by that particular retail operation(s). These wholesalers may obtain the products from a wide range of manufacturers. Still other wholesalers may not take title to the goods, but act as agents and brokers for a commission. Although, in general, wholesaling normally denotes sales in large volumes, durable nonconsumer goods may be sold in single units. Sales of capital or durable nonconsumer goods used in the production of goods and services, such as farm machinery, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and industrial machinery, are always included in wholesale trade. |
| 424 | Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods 3-digit subsector | Industries in the Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods subsector sell nondurable goods to other businesses. Nondurable goods are items generally with a normal life expectancy of less than three years. Nondurable goods merchant wholesale trade establishments are engaged in wholesaling products, such as paper and paper products, chemicals and chemical products, drugs, textiles and textile products, apparel, footwear, groceries, farm products, petroleum and petroleum products, alcoholic beverages, books, magazines, newspapers, flowers and nursery stock, and tobacco products. The detailed industries within the subsector are organized in the classification structure based on the products sold. Agents and brokers primarily engaged in wholesaling nondurable goods, generally on a commission or fee basis, are classified in Subsector 425, Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers. |
| 4243 | Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers 4-digit industry group | This industry group comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of piece goods, notions, and other dry goods; footwear; and clothing and clothing accessories. |
| 42435 | Clothing and Clothing Accessories Merchant Wholesalers 5-digit NAICS industry | See industry description for 424350. |
| 424350 | Clothing and Clothing Accessories Merchant Wholesalers 6-digit U.S. detail | This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of clothing and clothing accessories. Illustrative Examples: Baby bottles merchant wholesalers Diapers (except disposable) merchant wholesalers Dresses merchant wholesalers Fur clothing merchant wholesalers Handbags merchant wholesalers Hosiery merchant wholesalers Lingerie merchant wholesalers Millinery merchant wholesalers Nightwear merchant wholesalers Outerwear merchant wholesalers Sportswear merchant wholesalers Swimwear merchant wholesalers |
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Classification References
- 01Establishments primarily engaged in the merchant wholesale distribution of footwear are classified in Industry 424340, Footwear Merchant Wholesalers.
Index Items
Accessories, clothing, men's and boy's, merchant wholesalers
Baby and infant car seats merchant wholesalers
Baby and infant high chairs merchant wholesalers
Baby bottles merchant wholesalers
Baby clothing merchant wholesalers
Booster seats merchant wholesalers
Children's clothing merchant wholesalers
Clothing accessories, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Clothing, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Clothing, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Coats, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Coats, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Costumes, clothing, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Costumes, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Diapers (except disposable) merchant wholesalers
Dresses merchant wholesalers
Fur clothing merchant wholesalers
Furnishings (except shoes), men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Furnishings (except shoes), women's, girls', and infants', merchant wholesalers
Gloves, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Gloves, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Handbags merchant wholesalers
Hats and caps, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Hats and caps, women's, girls', and infants', merchant wholesalers
Hosiery, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Hosiery, women's and girls', merchant wholesalers
Hosiery, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Infants' clothing merchant wholesalers
Lingerie merchant wholesalers
Men's and boys' clothing merchant wholesalers
Men's and boys' furnishings (except shoes) merchant wholesalers
Millinery merchant wholesalers
Neckties, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Nightwear, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Nightwear, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Outerwear, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Outerwear, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Purses merchant wholesalers
Sleepwear, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Sleepwear, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Socks, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Socks, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Sportswear, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Strollers merchant wholesalers
Suits, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Swimwear, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Swimwear, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Umbrellas, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Umbrellas, women's and girls', merchant wholesalers
Underwear, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Underwear, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Uniforms (except athletic), men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Uniforms (except athletic), women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Unisex clothing merchant wholesalers
Waterproof garments, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
Waterproof garments, women's, children's, and infants', merchant wholesalers
Women's and children's clothing accessories merchant wholesalers
Women's clothing merchant wholesalers
Work clothing, men's and boys', merchant wholesalers
How Item Can Help
The WMS tracks clothing inventory across multiple warehouses in real time, preventing overstocking of seasonal items like winter coats while ensuring fast fashion trends are restocked quickly.
The OMS automates and fulfills complex returns for defective apparel, streamlining exchanges for accessories that may need sizing adjustments, and optimizing shipping routes for bulky garments.
By analyzing sales patterns from NAICS 424350 data, the platform predicts which styles and colors will move fastest, allowing wholesalers to adjust their purchasing orders before season peaks.
