"We are defining a new working concept,” declared Elcio Jacometti, president of Abicalçados (Brazilian Association of Footwear Manufacturers) at the close of ‘The Buyers' Project’ – one of two gatherings organised by the association to coincide with Cuoromoda 2004 (Sao Paulo, January 12-16).
The Buyers’ Project attracted forty members of the National Shoe Retailers Association (NSRA) from the US and Canada who were able to view the offerings of around sixty different manufacturers. A special reception area was organised to accommodate the delegation and interpreters laid on.
The second event revolved around a footwear showroom specially constructed at the Casa Grande Hotel in the elegant seaside resort of Guaruja, Sao Paulo, which provided the venue of the NSRA annual conference. At total of 23 Abicalçados members took the opportunity to showcase their products.
According to Eduardo Polo, director of Calçados Givit, the retailers stressed the need for comfort features in shoes. They also expressed their surprise at the improvements made in the quality and design of Brazilian footwear and the country’s growing presence at the quality end of the market, where consignments of between 500 and 1,000 are routinely delivered.
Enilton Egito Jr, director of ESTE Trading, said the showroom provided an ideal means of tapping the US market, which he had previously considered too big to contemplate. “Both the Buyers’ Project and the Guaruja showroom have helped strengthen the international image of the Brazilian footwear industry and its products. They should benefit all those involved in the shoe production chain”, said Heitor Klein, managing director of Abicalçados.
