São Paulo – Brazilian footwear exports to the United Arab Emirates reached USD 2.85 million in January and February, up 1.7% from the first two months of 2016. Sales amounted to over 403,000 pairs of shoes, a 3.1% increase. The data were issued this Wednesday (8) by the Brazilian Footwear Industry Association (Abicalçados).
The UAE is the top Arab buyer of Brazilian shoes, trailed by Saudi Arabia. Sales to UAE reached USD 2.5 million, a 36.4% drop over January and February 2016. Shipped amount was down 17.2% to 274,000 shoe pairs.
Total Brazilian footwear exports to Arab countries reached USD 8.3 million in January and February, down 8.77% according to figures from the Brazilian Ministry of Industry, Trade and Services. Slightly over 1 million pairs were sold.
Besides the UAE and Saudi Arabia, Brazilian shoes were exported to Kuwait, Bahrain, Morocco, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Mauritania and Tunisia in the first two months of 2017.
Global numbers
Overall footwear exports from Brazil amounted to USD 162.9 million, up 10.8%, while shipped amount was down 3.5% to 20.53 million pairs.
Despite the increase in sales, an Abicalçados press release quoted executive chairman Heitor Klein as saying growth in February (5% in revenue) was weaker than in January (17%) – reportedly a sign that exports are slowing down. “The dollar dropped sharply since the end of last year, going from a median of BRL 3.40 to BRL 3.15. That had a major impact in price formation,” according to the press release.
The biggest market for Brazilian footwear is the United States, followed by Argentina and France.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
