São Paulo – The International Footwear and Accessories Fair (Francal) is expecting importers from over 70 countries for the edition set to open shortly after the 2014 World Cup, on July 15th. Arabs are regular visitors at the event and should also attend, according to Abdala Jamil Abdala, chairman of Francal Feiras, organizers of the fair. Francal will have its 46th edition at the Anhembi Exhibition Pavilion, in São Paulo, up until July 18th. The organizers are expecting 60,000 storeowners to visit the fair, 1,500 to 2,000 being foreigners.
“Last year we had visitors from more than 70 countries, and this year there should be more. Brazil boasts a good footwear industry. We are expecting heavy attendance from Latin America and all of the Arab countries, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Kuwait, they are all coming because they are not shoe-manufacturing countries, they are buyers,” says Abdala. One of the reasons the chairman believes foreigners will attend is the World Cup. “Maybe some international buyer will come for the Cup and stay for the fair,” he notes.
Abdala claims importers attend Francal due to the product made in the country. Brazil is the world’s third leading shoe manufacturer, after China and India, and its product has quality and design,” says the organizer. According to him, Brazilian shoes match Italian ones in quality, but the price is “reasonably” lower. “We have positive expectations, we have been informed that the buyers are coming,” he told ANBA.
The fair will also receive importers invited via the Buyer Project of the Brazilian Footwear Industry Association (Abicalçados). According to information from the Abicalçados press office, foreign visitors will include an importer from Kuwait, an Arab country located in the Gulf.
The fair will see the launch of the Brazilian footwear industry’s spring-summer collections. According to material released by Francal, the production sold at the fair suffices to supply the domestic retail market for as long as nine months. The event is also a major export business hub, due to the foreign visitors. And Brazil is one of the leading global suppliers of shoes.
Year-to-date through April, the Brazilian industry exported 46.3 million pairs of shoes, as per Abicalçados figures. Revenues stood at US$ 359.9 million, up 33.8% from the same period last year, and up 38.5% in volume. Saudi Arabia was the ninth leading buyer of Brazilian footwear, and the Emirates ranked 14th.
Francal will feature approximately 1,000 exhibitors of all sizes, from the leading manufacturers to small and medium businesses. Apart from shoes, the fair features new products such as purses, suitcases, backpacks, leather items, costume jewellery and others. Lectures and debates about trends and new developments are also held.
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Francal 2014 – 46th International Footwear and Accessories Fair
Date: July 15th to 18th
Time: 9:00 am to 8:00 pm (on the 18th, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm)
Place: Anhembi Exhibition Pavilion – São Paulo
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
