Brazilian shoe firms to press ahead at US shows
In spite of a 50% tariff that the US has imposed on imports from Brazil, industry association Abicalçados has confirmed that a total of 32 footwear companies will travel north to industry events this month.
In partnership with export promotions body Apex Brasil, Abicalçados will lead delegations to the Atlanta Shoe Market event (August 9-11) and to Magic in Las Vegas (August 18-20).
A total of 22 Brazilian shoe brands will be present at the Atlanta event, with 12 presenting their latest collections in Las Vegas.
Carla Giordani, who runs commercial promotions activity at Abicalçados, said the trips were going ahead in spite of the new 50% tariffs, which came into effect on August 6.
She explained that the US has, historically, been an important market for the Brazilian footwear industry. US consumers buy more than 2.6 billion pairs of footwear per year, she said, almost all of them imported.
Ms Giordani also pointed out that almost 30% of the export revenues that Brazilian footwear brands generated come from the US.
Abicalçados figures show that Brazil exported 5.8 million pairs of shoes and other footwear to the US, bringing in $111.8 million. These figures indicate an increase of 13.5% in volume and of 7.2% in value compared to the same period last year.
