Only exports make sense for Italian leathergoods firms
24/02/2014
Speaking ahead of the March 2014 edition of the Mipel exhibition, the organisation’s general director, Mauro Muzzolon, said these figures compensated for results from the market in Italy itself. “Our domestic market is still showing signs of having major difficulties,” Mr Muzzolon said. “Our sales in Italy fell by 5% in volume in 2013 and by 1.5% in value. It’s a market that is at a lower level now than it was in 2009.”
On the export side, he said new markets with a strong desire to import high-end leathergoods made in Italy were emerging all the time, with Kazakhstan and South Korea good examples of this in 2013. “It’s the companies that have worked out how to present themselves well in overseas markets that doing well,” Mr Muzzolon said. “And those companies who are not exporting at least 60% or 70% of their total production are in great difficulty at the moment.”
More than 43% of exports are to other European countries, but 8.9% of the total is to the US, 8.1% to Hong Kong and 7.5% to Japan.
Bags are still the most important type of product for export markets. Italian manufacturers exported 32.5 million handbags last year.
Image shows Paris Hilton presenting her handbag collection at the September 2013 edition of Mipel.
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