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Figures show that shoe imports into the country are growing at a phenomenal
rate, and cost seven times more than those that are exported, while exports of
leather shoes declined. What does that say about consumer demand, and how
will it impact the domestic industry?
China’s domestic footwear
market is good news for all
S
tatistics from China for the first half of the year show
that for the first time, numbers of exported leather
shoes have decreased. During the period, 390 million
pairs with a value of $4.86 billion left the country,
compared with 460 million pairs with a value of $4.4 billion in
2010. This equates to a 15.2% decrease in volume over the
two-year period – although it signals that the quality of the
shoes has not decreased as the value has gone up by 10.4%.
In terms of imports, 9.6 million pairs of leather shoes entered
the country in the first six months, with a value of $460 million,
compared with 6.3 million pairs worth $220 million in 2010.
Here, the increase in volume is 52.4%, while the value has
increased by an astonishing 109%.
The growth of the footwear industry in the country is
phenomenal. In 2010, the China Leather Industry Association
(CLIA) said it expects domestic footwear consumption to
double, and that it estimates each Chinese citizen buys 1.5
pairs of shoes per year. Last summer we reported that during a
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FASHION & CONSUMER DEMAND
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012 | www.footwearbiz.com