Brazilian mission to China
04/10/2007
The burgeoning number of middle-class women in China have become a specific target of the Brazilian footwear industry.
Figures from the United Nations suggest that the number "economically active" women in China will reach 370 million by 2010. Cars and mobile phones are important purchase categories for these women, but so are high-fashion, high-quality leather shoes.
In an attempt to claim a share of this important market, a delegation of small and medium-sized footwear brands from Brazil has embarked on a tour of major Chinese cities.
On the trip, organised by the Brazilian footwear manufacturers' association, Abicalçados, they will visit Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Abicalçados has quoted a study carried out by the China Shoe exhibition suggesting that increasingly affluent women in cities such as Shanghai strongly favour imported shoes over locally produced models.
Not everyone, however, can afford the most famous and most expensive European brands, and Brazilian producers believe strongly that they can play an important part in meeting the rising demand.
Abicalçados has advised the companies taking part in the mission to ask a high price for their shoes; it expects the average retail price to be $150. The organisation is confident its members can command these prices because of the quality of the leather they use, the craftsmanship in the finishing, and the speed with which they can fulfil orders; the plan is to air-freight the footwear into China.
"We have claimed in the past that we have lost orders because of lower prices in China," senior Abicalçados consultant, Enio Klein, told Brazilian media at the start of the tour. "Now we're going to stop being so passive and go on the attack, selling into China."
Share this story:
