Couromoda underlines growing influence of Brazil
Couromoda 2002 – the 29th Brazilian Shoe and Leather Goods Fair - was the biggest ever edition of the event with 750 exhibitors and 49,600 people attending. The success of the exhibition confirms the growing importance of the Brazilian footwear industry in the context of the Latin American market.
Brazilian footwear manufacturers account for virtually all the country’s domestic footwear consumption (439 million pairs in 2001), while foreign sales have also been growing well in recent years with companies engaged in aggressive campaigns to boost exports. The Couromoda event, in conjunction with Abicalçados (the Brazilian Association of Footwear Manufacturers) has taken the lead in this development over the last six years.
At this year’s event, held in São Paulo at the beginning of January, foreign visitor numbers were up 17% with 1,615 international buyers, 82% of which were from South and Central America. Although the number of Argentinean attendees had fallen due to the country’s ongoing economic crisis the shortfall was made up by an increase from countries such as Venezuela.
In 2001, the Brazilian footwear industry recorded a 5% average increase in sales, with total production hitting 610 million pairs and exports worth $1.6 billion.
