The activiites carried out by the Brazilian Footwear, the footwear exports promotion programme developed by the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados) generated $162 million in 2018, it said.

The programme is being run in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil).  

The results refer to 13 actions, between trade fairs and trade missions held abroad. They generated $40 million on the spot, with the expectation to reach another $122 million in deals that began to be negotiated during the events, a statement said.

Abicalçados’ Trade Promotion coordinator, Letícia Sperb Masselli, highlighted that the actions carried out by the programme, existing since the year 2000, are essential for footwear exports, not only considering volume but also with regards to training.

“Before the first agreement with Apex-Brasil, 18 years ago, we exported to 99 countries, a figure that stood at over 160 last year. In addition to the diversification, we started to ship more products with the companies’ own brands, making our shoes desired and known in the main markets in the world,” she assesses.

Masselli also says that the nearly 250 companies that are members of the Brazilian Footwear account for more than 80 per cent of footwear exports, a share that tends to grow as brands realise the importance of operating in the foreign market as a continuing – and not only occasional – strategy.

“Even if the scenario is not so positive for deals, companies need to be there, holding their position with quality, to reap the results when better conditions are re-established,” she mentions.

For the coordinator, the exchange rate at the current level favours the setting of prices, even though local currencies are also devalued in the main markets for Brazilian footwear abroad, especially in Latin America.

“The exchange rate is important, but it has ceased to be essential for a long time. It takes strategy and training to properly work in international trade. This is what Abicalçados provides for companies that wish to work in the challenging overseas market, through the Brazilian Footwear,” she said.

She also added that in addition to enabling the participation of companies in international fairs and missions with subsidies, the footwear exports promotion program seeks their improvement to operate in the foreign market.

The agreement with the Brazilian Footwear is renewed every two years. The next target markets for the upcoming biennium, 2019/2020, were already selected during a meeting with Abicalçados, Apex-Brasil, and members of the project.

The US, Peru (new), France, the UK, China, South Korea (new), and Saudi Arabia (new) were chosen. These countries will be developed through trade, image, and prospection actions throughout the next agreement, which will be signed in the beginning of 2019, it stated. – TradeArabia News Service