First-half figures make for bleak reading for Abicalçados
13/07/2018
During the first half of the year, Brazilian footwear companies exported 55.37 million pairs of shoes for a total value of $486.9 million, decreases of 6.7% and 7.9%, respectively, compared to the same period of 2017.
In June, shoe exports were down 15.5% in volume and 0.9% in value year on year.
The main destination for Brazilian shoes in the first six months of 2018 was Argentina, which took in 5.5 million pairs for a value of $76.4. These figures represent increases of 30.6% in volume and of 18.2% in value.
The decline in exports to the US continued, however, with falls of 10% in volume and of 21.6% in value during the first half of the year.
Abicalçados executive president, Heitor Klein, said much of the footwear industry’s plight can be attributed to Brazil’s current political instability, which “directly affects” this sector due to its impact on exchange rates. He also cited the eleven-day truckers’ strike that took place at the end of May as a factor.
Mr Klein added that any sort of recovery in the footwear industry would have to be led by the participation of Brazilian companies in international trade events, but that the effect of any deals secured there will not be seen until the end of 2018 at the earliest.
Share this story:
