The luxury segment appears healthy and top brands are going strongly. But the recovery for Italy’s footwear segment is far. Production in Italy during the 1st quarter of 2021 was down 6.4% on yearly basis, and about -30% on the same period of 2019. This means that the number of footwear and components’ manufacturers decreased by 123, while the segment lost 587 jobs compared to December 2020. Export slightly increased, +0.3% in volume and +3% in value. Domestic consumption, meanwhile, lost another 3.5% in quantity and 6.9% in value.
Recovery is far
“The recovery is still far, even though the effects of the pandemic are slowly disappearing – points out Siro Badon, president of Assocalzaturifici (in photo) -. The recovery time won’t be quick, which will have heavy consequences on the relations between businesses and employees”.
Export trends
The positive notes come from export data. Switzerland (+13% in quantity), where many logistical platforms are located, performed well. Similarly, France’s +8% is attributable to their third-party manufacturing. China (+44.4% in volume and +74.8% in value) mostly rewarded large brands. The more traditional markets, such as Germany (-0,8% in volume) and USA (-8.6% in value) lost ground.
Regions and provinces
With regards to production, the regions in Italy that recorded the highest increments were: Tuscany (+28,7%), Veneto (+6,2%), Piedmont (+11,5%) and Puglia (+2,5%). In the red zone, on the other hand, were Lombardy (-0,7%), Marche (-11,7%) and Emilia Romagna (-32,1%). The performance for Florence was particularly brilliant (+44% and +16% on the first quarter of 2019), solidifying its position within the country with 18.2% of the total output of Italy.
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