NEWS News In Brief . . .
• Brazil hosted a most successful World Trade Congress in Rio
• No surge in Asian leather shoes in Europe • Jimmy Choo loses its heads • Manas signs Coccinelle license • Garant outperforms the market • Department stores expand shoe areas • Brazil's shoe trade balance deteriorates • Foreign retail investment eases in India
Big success for the World Footwear Congress in Rio
Francisco Dos Santos and his staff at Couromoda did an excellent job as
organizers of the fourth World Footwear Congress, which was held outside Europe for the first time in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 7-8. A total of 479 delegates from 29 countries attended the event, which provided a comprehensive overview of the current situation in the world footwear market and useful insights into its future development, especially in the fastest-growing emerging markets. Attendance was higher than expected, especially on the domestic front,
witha total of 282 participants from Brazil. Another 197 delegates came from other countries, with many of them braving long distances to reach the beautiful venue across from the beach of Copacabana. The second- largest contingent came from Italy, with a total of 61 delegates, thanks in large part to the sponsorship of Anci, the Italian shoe industry association, through its Micam shoe show. In addition to Couromoda and Micam, the Francal, GDS and Expo Riva Schuh shoe fairs acted as co-sponsors of the event. An impressive roster of speakers set a milestone in the history of the World Footwear Congress. Some of the participants in the World Footwear Congress stayed on to
attend the first World Leather Congress at the same location. A total of 350 delegates attended the equally successful event in Rio, including representatives of all the major countries that produce or process hides and skins, wetblue, and finished leather.
4 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JANUARY 2012
Europe can probably live without AD duties
Vito Artioli, chairman of the European shoe industry federation (CEC),
reiterated at the World Footwear Congress in Rio de Janeiro that his body will continue to be vigilant on the import front, and that it will not hesitate to request a new anti-dumping investigation if there is any new evidence of dumping that may damage the European shoe industry. However, the statistical data collected so far indicate that there has been no surge in the European Union’s imports of leather shoes from either China or Vietnam, the two countries that have been hit by the EU’s antidumping duties on these products in the last five years, since they were lifted last March 31. In the four months after March, the EU’s total imports of leather shoes
from China actually declined by 4.5 percent in volume and by 4.6% in value, although their average price dropped by 0.1% after a sharp rise in recent times. During the same four-month period between April and July, imports of leather shoes from Vietnam fell by 28.2% in volume and by 27.2% in value, as their average price increased by 1.4%. The relative slowdown may be explained by numerous factors, such as
the fact that the latest shipments of spring and summer merchandise from the two countries reflected orders passed at a time when there was still no certainty that the anti-dumping duties would be phased out. Furthermore, European importers have been ordering less because of the uncertain economic situation in their own countries and because the ongoing inflation and labour shortages in China and Vietnam have led them to diversify their sourcing. For the first seven months of 2011, the combined imports of leather shoes
from China and Vietnam into the EU were down by 14.6% in volume and by 8.7% in value, and their average import price was up by 6.9%. Comparatively, the EU’s total imports of leather shoes from all sources declined in the same period by only 6.5% in volume and rose by 0.5 percent in value, with average import prices rising by 7.5%. Including other types of shoes, the 27 member countries of the EU imported 1.6 million pairs in the first seven months, up by 3.5%, and their total value rose by 5.2% to ¤8.2 billion, with the average price increasing by 1.7% to ¤5.11 per pair. The EU’s trade balance improved slightly, while remaining largely
negative. Total shoe exports increased by 15.1% in volume to 117.8 million pairs, and their average price per pair went up by 6.1% to ¤29.18, leading to an overall increase in their value to ¤3.4 billion.
Jimmy Choo loses its heads Tamara Mellon, who co-founded Jimmy Choo together with the
Malaysian cobbler by the same name in 1996, has decided to leave the company. The wealthy 44-year-old former fashion model and accessories editor of the British edition of Vogue is said to be gearing up to launch her own fashion brand, as Tom Ford and others have done after leaving the fashion houses that they worked for. Because of her contract, she is apparently unable to talk about these plans at present. While Jimmy Choo is based in London, Mellon has been working out of
New York, where she moved from London in 2009. While she has been working mainly as a brand-builder, acting as a sort of ambassador for the brand at numerous events, she was appointed “chief creative officer” in the spring of 2010. Labelux, which acquired Jimmy Choo last May, said that there are no plans to replace Mellon in her current position. Sandra Choi and Simon Holloway will continue as creative directors of the company.
"The articles above are extracted from Shoe Intelligence, the international business publication on the footwear market. If you want to receive a full sample issue or ask for a free trial, please send an e-mail to
sampleft@edmpublications.com."
www.footweartoday.co.uk
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