Footwear export: Portugal beats Spain, Brazil reaches nearly a billion dollars, Vietnam disappoints

The Portuguese footwear is gaining ground abroad thanks to its new opening to new markets such as China, UAE, USA, Australia and Poland. In the first nine months, Lisbon has exported 60 million pairs of shoes for a value of 1.685 billion euro, up to 3.7% over the same period of 2015. With this development, 2016 will be the seventh consecutive year of growth in exports with an overall increase of over 55%. In Spain, considering the same time frame, footwear exports reached 125 million pairs (+ 2.3% compared to the same period last year) for a value of 2,130 million euro, a decrease of 7.8%. This result is the first negative sign since 2008. France, Italy, Germany, United Kingdom and Portugal are the main destinations. However, annual data provided by Abicalçados, relating to exports of footwear during 2016 show 126 million pairs sold with an increase of 1.7% and a turnover of 999 million dollars. The figure is up by 4% if compared to 2015. The primary target would be the United States followed by Argentina. Values also linked to the export support program that Abicalçados signed with the government agency Apex-Brasil, which last December was renewed for the next two years. 11.3 will be the millions of dollars that Brazilian shoe industry will receive by the state to promote them around the world. Last year, Vietnam has grossed more than $ 12 billion from exports of footwear and $ 2.99 billion from overseas sales of handbags, luggage and umbrellas for an overall total of $15 billion. If compared to 2015 figures, there has been an increase of + 8%. The Vietnamese are disappointed, and the reason is very simple. For 2016 they had fixed the target of 17 billion dollars linked to the leather export, representing a growth of 10%. A paradoxical failure that Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, secretary general of the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (Lefaso), explains saying that Vietnamese leather medium and small enterprises have registered a reduction of between 30 and 60% the number of orders within 12 months. According to Lefaso one of the reasons for failing to reach 2016 target was mainly because of “the fierce competition from neighbouring countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh, and also Brexit”.