EU and Mercosur on the way to signing a free trade agreement
The European Union and the South American economic bloc MERCOSUR (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay)agreed on a free trade agreement. The EU-Mercosur partnership is designed to provide significant mutual benefits through enhanced geopolitical, economic, sustainable and security cooperation. This agreement must now be approved by the Council and Parliament, writes Worldfootwear.com.
"This is a win-win agreement that will bring significant benefits to consumers and businesses on both sides," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, stressing that the agreement includes "robust safeguards" to protect farmers' livelihoods, ensures compliance with health and food standards and will save EU businesses €4 billion a year in export duties.
“For Europeans, this opens up a vast region to free trade, including access to critical raw materials, and reduces the risk that competitors will replace us in our absence. The deal creates a market for more than 700 million people and saves businesses in Europe billions a year in tariffs. For both sides, it will create many more jobs and opportunities. This is the right foreign policy and a good day for the EU and our partners in Latin America,” added Kaja Kallas, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission.
The agreement, meanwhile, faces a tough fight for approval in the European Council and parliament. France, which has been the EU's most vocal critic of the deal, has called it "unacceptable" on environmental and agricultural grounds. European farmers have repeatedly protested against the EU-Mercosur deal, which they say will lead to cheap imports of South American goods. Italy and Poland have also said they see no reason to sign such a deal.
At the same time, as Reuters writes, a group of EU members, including Germany and Spain, believes that the deal is vital for the bloc as it seeks to diversify its trade after the near-total closure of the Russian market and the high risk of dependence on China.
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EU and Mercosur on track to sign free trade agreement The European Union and the South American economic bloc Mercosur have agreed on a free trade agreement.…
LLOYD has rebranded
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Parisian brand Y/Project announces closure
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Vietnam to increase leather and footwear exports by 2024% in 11
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Dr. Martens to Leave Its Creative Director Darren McCoy
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Shoe factories in Russia are closing one after another
The shoe industry in Russia is in a severe crisis situation. A number of Russian shoe manufacturers have announced the cessation of their activities this year.
Shoemakers' problems are growing
The annual general meeting of the National Footwear Union (NOBS) was held in Moscow.
How to Choose Winter Shoes: Expert Advice
With the arrival of cold weather, the issue of choosing good winter footwear becomes extremely relevant. Comfort, warmth and protection from moisture are the main requirements for footwear in the cold season. Natalia Kuznetsova, an expert of the German brand of footwear and accessories Tamaris, shared useful tips on choosing the perfect pair for both winter walks and business meetings.
How to Conduct an Effective Strategy Session for a Shoe Business?
Every business owner imagines a cloudless future for their company something like this: high profits, ideal employees, loyal customers, competitors biting their elbows, and market conditions that are favorable specifically for their company. Want to get closer to your dreams? Turn them into goals, says fashion business management and development expert and regular SR contributor Maria Gerasimenko. And achieving any goals requires developing a strategy. Today, it is important to understand that strategy is vital for any business - from microenterprises to large holdings.
Five fashionable models of men's shoes: forecast for the autumn-winter season 2024/25
Trend analysts and fashion trend forecasters have already formulated their concepts of what will be worn in the next cold season, having analyzed hundreds of looks from dozens of shows at fashion weeks in Milan, London, New York and Paris. Fashion Consulting Group trend expert Maria Shchennikova has prepared a checklist of fashionable shoes especially for SR. In the previous issue, we gave a selection of five trendy models of women's shoes for the fall-winter 2024/25 season. And in this issue, we will tell you about five trendy models of men's shoes: updated oxfords, loafers with decor, shoes with straps (very reminiscent of the women's model of Mary Jane shoes), minimalist boots, wallabee boots. The article is based on materials from the global online trend bureau FashionSnoops.com.
Online and offline - eternal battle or cooperation?
The rapid growth of the category "Clothing and footwear" on marketplaces makes us think about the decline in consumer interest in purchasing goods in traditional fashion retail. However, according to experts from Fashion Consulting Group, the existence of alternative retail channels should not be perceived as a confrontation, but rather, as an opportunity for combination and cooperation, and, as a result, sales growth.
How to Increase Shoe Sales in a Retail Store by 25% Through Effective Management
Almost every retail company has effective and ineffective salespeople, that is, those who always fulfill and exceed the sales plan and those who fall short of one hundred percent month after month. And as a result, the entire store's sales plan sag. How to motivate and teach lagging salespeople to work effectively? Why does a "bad" salesperson mean that the store has a bad manager, who is not ready to take responsibility? And why, in order to be a profitable store, should the result come first, compliance with regulations and sales standards come second, and people come third? SR expert and business trainer Evgeny Danchev answers questions and analyzes mistakes in managing a team of salespeople.
Service and Marketing Tips in Fashion Retail
Selling in the modern sense is not just solving a customer's problem, it is creating a positive emotional customer experience. And 86% of customers are willing to pay more for a positive experience. 
Euro Shoes will be held from February 18 to 21 in Moscow!
The international exhibition of footwear and accessories Euro Shoes Premiere Collection will be held in the capital's Expocentre from 18 to 21 February!
Lessons and Conclusions from Moscow Fashion Week and BRICS+ Fashion Summit
The third Moscow Fashion Week and BRICS+ Fashion Summit highlighted the problem of the almost complete absence of shoe brands at the Week events. Is there a chance for our shoe industry to grow to the level of fashion, and for Moscow Fashion Week to stand on a par with world fashion weeks, - ponders the director of the Be In Open fashion institute Alexey Bazhenov.
Euro Shoes@CAF to be held in Almaty again
From March 10 to 12, 2025, the international exhibition of clothing, footwear and accessories Euro Shoes@CAF will be held in Almaty.
Three Main Trends in Visual Merchandising Based on Events
Today, fashion stores are trying to adapt under the pressure of marketplaces. This is happening not only in Russia, but all over the world, because marketplaces are capturing an ever-increasing share of the market in different countries. There is a battle for the buyer, so offline retailers are using additional tools. Viktor Malygin, an expert in visual merchandising (VM) and retail design at Fashion Consulting Group, believes that the main thing a retailer can and should do to attract customers to their store is to create an event. The idea of eventfulness should run like a red thread through the entire work of an offline store today. The expert talks about three main VM trends, which are based on eventfulness.
Heading towards Moscow - development of the MASCOTTE chain in a new concept
The brand of shoes, clothing and accessories Mascotte continues to actively develop the network in a new concept. Updated spaces appeared in Moscow in the VEGAS KASHIRSKOE shopping center on the 1st floor (area more than 300 m²) and the Vesna shopping center on the 1st floor (area more than 400 m²). By the end of 2024, openings are planned in the Botanica Mall mixed-use complex on the 1st floor (area more than 400 m²) and in the ODIPARK shopping center on the 1st floor (area more than 300 m²). In 2025, the brand plans to continue to expand its network of branded salons in a new concept through consistent and methodical openings in new shopping centers and rebranding of current salons with relocation to larger areas.
Louis Vuitton opens a new factory in Italy
Louis Vuitton has opened its second shoe factory in Italy. After opening the first one in Fiesso d'Artico in Veneto, the LVMH flagship brand has just opened a new production site dedicated to this category of footwear in the industrial zone of Civitano in the Marche region. There is also another brand production facility in Tuscany, where bags and leather accessories are produced, writes fr.fashionnetwork.com.
The international footwear exhibition Euro Shoes premiere collection was successfully held in Moscow
Russia's largest exhibition of footwear and accessories, Euro Shoes, was held in Moscow from February 19 to 22 and again became the main meeting place for fashion brands and buyers.
Sales through marketplaces. Growth points and pitfalls
Over the past few years, marketplaces have been actively growing, taking away share from offline retail. And shoe brands are eager to sell their products through these online platforms, hoping to earn a lot more and scale their business. Marketplaces really take on a lot (issues of logistics, delivery, returns, promotion in search engines), but everything is as ideal and rosy as it seems to beginners. Inexpensive traffic and regular sales come at the cost of risks and fines. SR expert in sales management and strategic development of fashion brands, business consultant Daniya Tkacheva talks about growth points and pitfalls of working with marketplaces.
Turkish brand Vaneda on Euro Shoes
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The Euro Shoes@CAF exhibition will be held in Almaty
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Why is it so important to work with customer reviews, analyze them and use them in your work?
Customer reviews are of great, invaluable importance when selling a product. However, many companies do not always understand this: they do not collect reviews, respond only to positive ones and do not work with negative ones. This is a big mistake and omission of the brand. In this article, together with SR digital marketing expert Tatyana Vasilyeva, we understand the intricacies and nuances of working with customer reviews and explain why it is worth paying attention to your customer reviews, and how this can increase your sales.
We are ready for active development in the Russian market
Friedrich Naumann, CEO of the Tamaris brand, told Shoes Report about the company’s ambitious plans, business development in Russia and expansion of the retail network, and also shared details about new collections and launches.
Current techniques in lighting a shoe store
Today, walking through the galleries of shopping centers, we see a variety of formats of offline stores. New concepts of retail spaces attract with an individual, memorable design. In a certain sense, they are an element of the show, a tool through which the buyer receives a new and interesting experience. Together with SR expert in the field of lighting technology in retail, Tatyana Ryzhova, we will look at current lighting design techniques for modern shoe stores, which we will see more and more often in new retail outlets in the near future.
Trade equipment in a modern shoe and accessories store
For a very long time, commercial equipment was a purely utilitarian item of store interior. But those days are long gone, and today retail equipment is not just shelves, racks, tables, but one of the effective tools of visual merchandising, an integral part and reflection of the concept of retail design. In the previous issue (Shoes Report, #199), SR’s resident expert in the field of store building and commercial display design, Marina Polkovnikova, examined the main trends in retail design, which, in her opinion, shoe stores should pay attention to. These are minimalism, monochrome, natural and environmentally friendly materials in the design of shop windows and retail space, inclusivity and safety. These trends will be relevant in the next few years. Continuing the topic started, in this article Marina Polkovnikova gives recommendations on how to use retail equipment to create a trendy commercial presentation of goods in a store and, at the same time, a comfortable atmosphere for customers that encourages them to make purchases.
Shoe educational program: what shoe soles are made of
“What is the difference between TEP and EVA? What does tunit promise me? Is PVC glue? What is the sole of these shoes made of? ”- the modern buyer wants to know everything. In order not to smash his face in front of him and be able to explain whether such a sole suits him in soles, carefully read this article. In it, process engineer Igor Okorokov tells what materials the soles of shoes are made of and what makes each of them so good.
How to set prices that will earn
Some businessmen still confuse the concept of margin with the concept of trade margins and set prices for their goods, guided solely by the example of competitors. No wonder they go broke! Analyst at the Academy of Retail Technologies Maxim Gorshkov gives several tips and formulas with which you can set not only ruinous, but also profitable prices.
Sales of shoes and accessories: effective techniques for business rhetoric
Which speech modules are effective in communicating with potential and current customers of shoe stores, and which are not, Anna Bocharova, a business consultant, knows.
We form the salary of sellers: expert advice
“How do you charge your consultants for personal or general sales?” Is one of the most popular questions causing a lot of controversy and gossip on the online forums of retail business owners. Indeed, how to properly form the earnings of sellers? But what about bonuses, where to get a sales plan from, do employees allow them to buy goods at discounted stores? In search of truth, the Shoes Report turned to a dozen shoe retailers, but no company wanted to disclose its motivation system - the process of its development was too complicated and individual. Then we asked four business consultants, and finally became convinced that the topic of seller motivation is very complex, because even our experts could not come to a common opinion.
Technology Selling Issues
There is nothing worse than meeting the buyer with the words “Hello, can I help you with something?”, Because the seller works in the store just to help. Criticizing this well-established pattern of communication with the buyer, Andrei Chirkarev, business coach for effective sales and the founder of the New Economy project, shares the technology of truly selling issues with readers of Shoes Report.
The whole truth about Bayer. Who is he and how to become one?
Bayer is no longer a new, but still a popular and sought-after profession. It’s fashionable to be a buyer. Buyers are at the origins of the emergence and development of trends. If the designer offers his vision of fashion in the season, then the buyer selects the most interesting commercial ideas. It is on buyers that the policy of sales of stores and what, in the end, the buyer will wear depends on. This profession is surrounded by a magical fleur, often associated with a lack of understanding of what exactly is the work of a buyer.
Fur, and not only: types of lining
In the production of winter footwear, various materials are used that are designed to retain heat and meet the requirements of consumers: natural sheepleather, artificial fur, artificial fur from natural wool and others. All types of lining fur have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let's consider the properties of each of them.
The best models of Czech shoes of the past
In Soviet times, for shoes from Czechoslovakia sold under the Cebo brand, customers stood in line for four hours and did not regret it, because Czech shoes were considered to be of high quality, comfortable and fashionable. Shoe designer Juraj Shushka shared a photo archive of his collection with Shoes Report magazine, which contains the most interesting Cebo models from the 1940's to the 1980's.
Retail Arithmetic
Before you begin to solve specific problems, you need to find out how accurately all the leaders of your company understand the basic terminology of retail.
How to fire a worker without tears, scandal and trial
Sooner or later, any manager is faced with the need to part with an employee. Properly and on time the dismissal procedure will save the company money, and the boss himself - nerves and time. But why sometimes, knowing that a break in relations is inevitable, we put off the decision for months?
