Brazilian Footwear Industry Association (Abicalçados) considers its current level of foreign sales modest despite the fact the country exports 180 million of its 700 million pairs produced annually. The association has, therefore, been developing a policy to expand foreign sales and diversify markets, which resulted in a shift of focus to Eastern Europe.
Brazilian entrepreneurs have their sights set specifically on Russia which already imports the equivalent of $6 million per year. "Clearly, this is still a very modest figure but what is important is that we raised it from $2 million to $6 million. Through the events we are holding, we hope to reach $20 million in two or three years," says Heitor Klein, executive director of Abicalçados.
Brazil offers competitive prices, ranging from $5 to $30, making the footwear accessible to all segments. The disadvantage lies in logistics, since geographical and cultural distances make it difficult to sell directly to Russian retailers.
The USA continues to be the principal market for Brazil, absorbing 65% of what is shipped abroad. The other big importers are the UK, Argentina and Mexico. The annual earnings of Brazil's footwear industry amount to $10 billion.
