Hotels, restaurants and corporate catering companies might be forced to accept more increases in their costs as the price of raw cotton increases further, it has emerged.
Cotton rose by 76 per cent rise over the year to the end of November, which translated into a 38 per cent rise in the cost of a bed sheet.
It is likely that laundries will pass on the rise in costs to the biggest users of commercial laundries – the hospitality sector – that rely on a supply of cotton-rich essentials like bed sheets, towels and tablecloths.
"Current prices are not sustainable. Hoteliers, restaurants, hospitals and other sectors dependent on cotton-rich textiles should be ready to work creatively with their crisis-hit suppliers to help ensure their needs are served over the coming months," says Murray Simpson, Chief Executive Officer of the Textile Services Association (TSA).
>> Have you noticed any increases in the price of linen? Is it something that concerns you? Working "creatively" would seem to suggest hospitality paying more and/or moving away from fixed price deals - would you be happy to do that?