São Paulo – Revenues from Brazilian footwear exports to Saudi Arabia increased by 11% from January to July this year from the same period of last year, according to figures from the Brazilian Footwear Industry Association (Abicalçados). Revenues from sales to the Arab country stood at US$ 12.4 million. Volume-wise, exports were up 4% to 1.05 million pairs of shoes. The volume shipped was 39,000 pairs higher.
Revenues increased by a higher rate than did volume because prices the average price of shoes shipped to the region were up 7%. From January to July 2011, the Brazilian industry supplied shoes to Saudi Arabia at an average cost of US$ 11.05. In the same period this year, the average price was US$ 11.80. Saudi Arabia ranked 15th among the leading targets for Brazilian footwear, and was the only Arab country among the 20 leading buyers.
Sales to the Saudi market have countered the trend seen in the industry, because Brazilian footwear exports were down year-to-date as a whole. Revenues dropped by 19% and the volume shipped dropped by 5%. Brazil exported 62.8 million pairs of shoes from January to July, at US$ 628.3 million in revenues. The average price of exported shoes was down 15%, to US$ 10. The main targets were the United States, Argentina, France, Paraguay and the United Kingdom.
In July, shoe exports generated US$ 97 million in revenues, down 15.5% from the same month of last year. A total of 7.5 million pairs were shipped abroad, down 18% from the 9.2 million shipped in July last year. The average price was up 3.2%, from US$ 12.40 as of July 2011 to US$ 12.80 last month.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum