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WF NEWS
3
VIETNAM
The country’s
footwear exports brought in
$5.1 billion in the first ten
months of 2011, up 25% on
the value of shoe exports in
the January-October period
last year.
CHINA
An ongoing study into small and medium industrial enterprises in
the Pearl River Delta region of southern China has found that companies in
the area, an important centre for footwear manufacture, are substantially
less profitable now than they were a year ago. Rising raw material and
labour costs, and a fall in orders from customers in Europe and North
America, have made a big impact on companies there, leading to a fall in
profits of between 30% and 40% for many businesses in the area.
•
Confirming the impression that more and more Chinese footwear
manufacturers are focusing on the domestic market, the China Leather
Industry Association has reported a decline of 5% in the export of leather
shoes during the first seven months of 2011. From January-July, Chinese
leather shoe manufacturers exported 540 million pairs. While this represents
a decrease on the same period in 2010, the value of the shoes was up by
10% to reach $6.2 billion.
UNITED STATES
The American Apparel
& Footwear Association (AAFA) has reported
footwear consumption figures for the US in
2010. Across all footwear types, US consumers
bought 2.27 billion pairs of shoes last year, an
increase of 14% compared to 2009. “After a
difficult 2009, the US footwear industry has
reason for optimism,” said AAFA chief
executive. Kevin Burke. He said this was a
signal that the US economy is becoming
stronger.
NICARAGUA
Brazilian shoe
manufacturer Aniger has set up a new
subsidary in Nicaragua, Tecshoes, which
will begin to make shoes in the Central
American country as part of a free-zone
regime in December. An initial investment
of $6 million will allow Tecshoes to create
1,200 jobs in the next 18 months and
produce up to 10,000 pairs of shoes a day.
The factory will be located in the Tipitapa
district of the capital city, Managua, and
will cover 11,000 square-metres. This will
make it the second-largest footwear
operation in Nicaragua after a factory
established in 2010 by another Brazilian
firm, Schmidt Irmaos.
CUBA
The country’s
leather and footwear union
has signed an agreement
with Chinese footwear
producer Grace to improve
the supply of leather, other
raw materials, machinery
and technical know-how to
manufacturers on the
island. Xu Jiancun, president
of Grace, signed the
agreement on behalf of the
company at the twenty-
ninth edition of the
Expocuba fair in Havana.
INDIA
US footwear
retailer Kenneth Cole has
teamed up with India-based
Reliance Brands to open
stores in a number of
Indian cities. The deal
involves Reliance Brands
opening 20 exclusive
Kenneth Cole stores in the
next three to five years.
AUSTRALIA
Sheepskin footwear brand Ukala Sydney is expanding its business into
Europe. Founded in 2010, the brand is partnering with international retailers to expand its
distribution. The brand creates sheepskin boots made from Australian merino wool, and
suede. The shoes also feature lightweight soles and reinforced heel cup for added support.