On Friday, 1 March, La moda italiana@Almaty closed with positive chimes. The trade fair calendar does not stop, but proposes, from Sunday 3 to Tuesday 5 March, Shoes Düsseldorf in Germany. Then eyes will be on Obuv, in Moscow from 12 to 15 March. A trade fair tour that started off on the right foot in Kazakhstan: exhibitors are moderately satisfied. Price is also important for this market and that of the neighbouring republics, which benefit from the trade sanctions against Russia imposed by the EU.
Almaty closes with positive chimes
From Thursday 28 February to 1 March, 90 Italian footwear, leather goods and clothing brands exhibited at the “La moda italiana@Almaty” trade fair. This fair is growing, because Kazakhstan has become an important hub for the region. And the first comments arriving from Almaty also confirm this trend. “There was a discrete presence of customers. In terms of numbers, perhaps slightly fewer than at the edition held a year ago. But this time I saw them more decisive and convinced of their choice”, says Loredano Corvaro, Head of Russia and CIS for Vittorio Virgili Shoe Factory. “Most probably the sales of this winter season were good, and so the buyers came back to shop. The final verdict is positive: we are satisfied”. Corvaro points out the greater interest acquired by the fair in recent editions as “there are more exhibitors, and the number of clothing exhibitors has grown”.
Receptive market
Enrico Barbato of the Veneto-based company Accademia also gives a positive assessment of the Kazakh fair. “All in all, I saw a receptive market. You have to consider two aspects: that, with the exception of a few cases, the customers are small. The second, is that the various buyers look very carefully at price, which often makes the difference”. Positive judgement also for Marino Fabiani for whom, however, the concomitance of Aymod in Turkey has eroded some attendance: “The Almaty fair is definitely one to be repeated. It is nice to be able to meet customers without having to talk about sanctions and other things”.
Upcoming appointments
Most of the operators present in Almaty already have their eyes on the next edition of Obuv (Moscow, 12-15 March). A historically important appointment for those companies that export to Russia. Before the flight to Moscow, the trade fair calendar offers Shoes Düsseldorf from Sunday 3 to Tuesday 5 March, with 545 exhibitors, 157 of which are Italian brands.
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