Some idea of the impact that SARS is having on the Chinese footwear industry is provided by the latest figures from the shoe producing city, Jinjiang City.

During January-April, 2003, over 50% of the city’s larger footwear factories halved production, while the majority of the region’s 600 smaller factories virtually ceased production completely due to a slump in foreign orders. Domestic sales of branded footwear meanwhile declined 10%, leading to an inventory of over 500,000 pairs.

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