2023-08-24 21:16:45
the one of footwear It was one of the sectors that suffered the most virulent effects of the pandemic, but since it managed to return to the figures prior to the health crisis at the beginning of last year, its progression had been unstoppable. However, what began to go wrong at the start of the current year ended up acquiring overtones of reality in the second quarter, when Alicante exports have decreased by 9% compared to the same period of 2022, leaving 27.2 million euros along the way. The fall in consumption due to inflation is hidden behind this decline, before which companies do not hide their concern. The sector, in this scenario, goes to the Düsseldorf fair next week with the aim of sounding out the German market, just one of the ones that have fallen the most.
The main export industry in the province of Alicante is currently going through a delicate moment, in which it has seen how foreign sales have suffered a complete slowdown. January began with the same dynamics as the previous year, with growth of 27%, but since then there has been a slowdown that has ended up leading to a setback.
Although in the global calculation of the first semester the balance is still positive, with 672 million euros exported compared to 666 the previous year, what worries is the drift of the last three monthsin which there has been a 9% drop, with 274 million euros compared to the 301 that were obtained in the same period of 2022.
This is a dynamic that is affecting industry in general, as shown by the activity indices for all sectors, which in the province have fallen by 4.6% in year-on-year terms. However, it is footwear that is feeling the blow to a greater extent, something that is closely related to the production of fashion items.
The president of the Valencian Association of Footwear Entrepreneurs (Avecal), Marián Cano, points out that “in a scenario like the one we are going through, marked by inflation, it was a matter of time before it ended up having an impact on items that are not essential, such as those related to fashion. The disposable income of families has been decreasing, so they have had to prioritize their purchases.”
The circumstance also occurs that with the arrival of summer, people have decided to turn to the holidays. “Leisure and travel have been put aheadand that is being noticed by the companies, which do not have the demand that they had last year at this same time, when the market had an extraordinary behavior after the worst moments of the health crisis,” emphasizes Cano.
Another element that is playing against the commercial activity is the excess of stock in the distributionwhich makes it difficult for the new shoe models to have room now, as expected.
At the national level, the situation in the sector is a little better than that of the province, but dark clouds are also looming on the horizon. This is recognized by Imanol Martínez, head of internationalization of the Federation of Spanish Footwear Industries (FICE), who points out that exports in the first semester were close to 1,640 million euros after an increase of 14.4% compared to the same period in 2022. Thus, it stands out that these are record figures, but based on the rise in prices, and draws attention to the fact that “there is a slowdown in growth“.
For his part, the general director of the J’hayber company, Rafael Bernabeu, shares that a part of the increase registered by exports in 2022 was due to price increases, and acknowledges that we are witnessing a “cooling off of the economy” that always ends up generating uncertainties.
Düsseldorf
In this context, the sector will be present from August 27 to 29 at the Shoes Düsseldorf fair, in what will be a good survey, above all, of the German market, one of those currently presenting a more worrying situation. Germany, in fact, is the third largest buyer of Spanish footwear, only behind France and Italy, representing 10% of foreign sales in value. However, It is one of the markets with the worst behavior in the first months of the yearwith a fall of 16% in pairs, although with a rise of 5% in value.
As Marián Cano explains, “we are interested in knowing the reality of what is happening both in Germany and in the markets closest to this country, where it is evident that there has been a notable drop in consumption. However, and precisely for this reason, this is the time to be there and to support our customers, some of whom are not having a very good time.
In this sense, from the sector it is highlighted that Shoes Düsseldorf has established itself as the most important footwear fair in Germany and is an unmissable event for brands. The meeting has a regional character, since it covers both the host country and some neighboring markets such as the Netherlands, Belgium or Switzerland.
As its name indicates, it is held in Düsseldorf, the capital of German fashion due to the large number of permanent fashion and footwear showrooms. The event will take place in the Areal Böhler industrial complex, with a contemporary and up-to-date atmosphere.
“Shoes Düsseldorf has become a must for Spanish companies that sell in Germany or want to expand their clientele”, explains Imanol Martínez, who adds that “despite the poor sales to this country in the first months of the year, Companies continue to bet on this market and not only do they not reduce their participation in fairs, but they increase it“.
According to the data provided by the organization of the contest, Shoes Düsseldorf usually receives around 6,000 visitorsamong which 75% predominate, the Germans, many of them retailers.
The event is included in the 2023 Foreign Promotion Plan and has the support of ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones. FICE coordinates the promotion and communication campaign for Spanish footwear at the fair, organizing various actions to increase the visibility of Spanish exhibitors and updating the image of the Shoes from Spain campaign, to provide dynamism and coherence with trends in the footwear sector. fashion.
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