According to analytics from the Confindustria Moda Training Center, 2023 million pairs of shoes were produced in Italy in 148, which is 8,6% less than the year before. Moreover, this figure is far from the 179 million pairs that were released in Italy in 2019.
Data prepared by research center Confindustria Moda for the Association of Italian Shoe Manufacturers Assocalzaturifici also shows that exports (including re-exported shoes) are estimated to have increased by 1,1% year on year to €12,79 billion, while imports fell by 3,5% year on year to 6,99 billion euros.
“The past year was characterized by an unstable trend for the Italian footwear industry. The brilliant performance of the first quarter with double-digit growth in exports and trade turnover was followed by a progressive decline. There are worrying signs early in 2024 and we expect a further slowdown in at least the first half of the year. The situation is determined by a difficult international situation, with high geopolitical risks, as well as limited financial capabilities of households and businesses,” commented Assocalzaturifici President Giovanna Ceolini.
In the first 10 months of 2023 (where the official Istat data released so far ends), France confirmed its first place among foreign markets for the Italian footwear industry (+17,3% in value terms and +1,1% in pairs compared to the period January-October 2022).
Switzerland, a traditional logistics hub for brands, experienced a sharp decline (-24,6% in value terms and -33,3% in pairs), likely influenced by changes in distribution strategies (due to which a significant portion of goods sold were sent without transit through Swiss warehouses).
The US and German markets saw a sharp decline in sales in the second half of the year (about -25% in volume over the four-month period from July to October), recording a decline of about -20% in pairs over the first 10 months (and -7,8% and -2,3% respectively in value terms).
Direct flows of products from Italy to the Far East, also strengthened by a decrease in transit through Switzerland, increased by +15,6% in value terms and +7,4% in pairs (to China +12,4% in value terms; to Hong Kong + 16,5%; to Japan +18,7% and to South Korea +2,8% in value terms and minus in kind).
Sales of Italian footwear to the United Arab Emirates increased by 30% in value and by 8,9% in pairs.
Sales in Russia in value terms grew by 36,8%, in Ukraine the growth was 79%, which is a significant jump after the collapse of 2022 caused by the outbreak of military conflict. However, sales figures here still remain below 2021 levels.
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