São Paulo – In the first half of 2021, footwear export returned to the same numbers of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brazilian Association of Footwear Industries (Abicalçados) reported. According to the organization, in H1 2021, footwear exports fetched USD 389 million for 57 million pairs.
Compared to the pre-pandemic period, in 2019, the volume had a slight reduction of 0.3% in volume. Revenue saw a 19% decline. Abicalçados attributes the lower income to a price adjustment in the international market, as the appreciation of the dollar made it possible to offer more competitive prices.
Year-on-year, the sector saw an increase of 17.7% in revenue and 32.3% in volume. The growth is explained by the last year’s low numbers. The footwear industry was one of those that suffered the most from the pandemic, as the closing of retail to curb the spread of COVID-19 had a substantial impact on sales.
Year-to-date through June, the leading destination of footwear from Brazil was the United States, followed by Argentina. France came third. The Arab countries were not among the top destinations of footwear from Brazil in the first half.
In June alone, 7.78 million pairs were shipped, fetching USD 65.47 million, up 116% in volume and 84% in revenue from a year ago. Compared to June 2019, there was a 19.7% increment in the number of pairs and a 2.6% drop in revenue.
Despite this timely recovery, the chief executive of Abicalçados, Haroldo Ferreira, highlights that the sector is expected to end 2021 below pre-pandemic levels. “We are growing on a historically weak baseline, which took us to the levels of almost four decades ago,” the executive says, noting that last year exports fell by over 18%.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
