São Paulo – Brazil shipped 102.4 million pairs of shoes abroad year to date through October, generating USD 1 billion in revenue for the sector. Data was made public this Monday (13) by the Brazilian Association of Footwear Industries (Abicalçados). Despite the impressive numbers, there was a drop of 14% in volume and 8.8% in revenue compared to the same period last year.
Solely in October, exports totaled 11.8 million pairs, with a USD 100 million revenue. The result represented a 5.2% increase in pairs compared to October 2022 but a 12.3% decrease in revenue. Despite the year-to-date drop, the sector achieved growth compared to the pre-pandemic period, according to Abicalçados.
The association’s executive president, Haroldo Ferreira, attributed the numbers to the slowing global economy. “The world is growing below the historical average of the last three years,” he said. According to Ferreira, in addition to the slowdown in the leading economies –including the United States and European Union countries, both facing high interest rates and inflation – China is ramping up footwear sales in its upturn.
In September, China exported 746.4 million pairs of shoes, 3% more than in the same month of the previous year. Year to date through September, China has exported 6.8 billion pairs, according to Abicalçados. Ferreira said that the increase in this competition impacts Brazilian sales. The main buyers of Brazilian footwear from January to October were Argentina, the United States, and France (in the opening picture, a shoe store in France).
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
