A fire broke out in an exhibition hall during the last day of the GDS International Shoe Fair in Dusseldorf. No casualties and no serious damages were reported, however the area (hall six) had to be cleared of all exhibitors and visitors for nearly half an hour.

The fair itself experienced a drop in attendance, down 4,000 to 46,000. The number of exhibitors was also slightly lower - 1,709 participated compared with 1,810 last autumn. The mood was rather pessimistic, especially among German shoe manufacturers and buyers. The domestic market has been at a standstill since October 2001 and there are little signs for recovery for 2002. GDS claims to be the biggest shoe exhibition in the world and is held in Dusseldorf twice a year.

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