Plenty of international buyers as the sector shows the first signs of recovery
Attendance is up at theMICAM, the international footwear show that closed its 81st edition at Fiera Milano (Rho) today, with 32,703 visitors, half of whom came from outside the country. 1,456 exhibitors, including 821 Italian companies and 635 foreign companies, covered a 64,144 square metres of net display space. Visitor numbers were up 1.8% over February 2015, + 6% over the September edition of the event.
theMICAM attracted 16,343 international visitors from more than 130 different countries. Spain, Germany and France (up +12.5%) led the ranking. Surprisingly, the number of Russian buyers also grew significantly (+13%).
“We're very happy with the results,” says Assocalzaturifici chair Annarita Pilotti. ”theMICAM has confirmed its status as the world's most important event for the footwear industry, a unique international business opportunity. We started out in a climate of uncertainty, with a number of difficult years behind us before the year 2015, in which, even though sales largely held their ground, the industry has suffered the effects of a drop in domestic demand and shrinkage of a number of important foreign markets, such as Russia and the former CIS area. The results were good, however, and we saw a return of Italian buyers, whose numbers had dropped significantly. The participating companies' satisfaction is tangible, and they will be able to go back to work tomorrow in a more serene state of mind. We like to think that the vitality so evident at the fair is the first sign of a recovery in 2016. Italian footwear companies employ 77 thousand people, but are still on the defensive, and deserve more attention from the country's official institutions.
This is why we are asking the government for tax exemptions for investment in production of samples. We will continue to fight to ensure that Europe does not grant China the status of market economy unless the Asian giant starts producing the shoes it sells here in compliance with the same quality, environment and safety standards as are applied here in Italy”.
The footwear industry is in search of new outlets for its exports. It is looking towards the United States and the Middle East, particularly for high-end footwear, and to South Korea, which has been performing particularly well lately. China remains a key market in terms of the quantities it absorbs and the high average price of the shoes sold there. Then there is South America, and, in the long term, Iran, where Assocalzaturifici conducted an exploratory mission in December.
The 82nd edition of theMICAM, the world's top footwear show, is scheduled for September 3 to 6 at Fiera Milano (Rho).
Press release
Micam
Via Monte Rosa, 21 - 20149 Milano, Italia
Tel. +39 02 43829.1 - Fax +39 02 43829233
stampa@assocalzaturifici.it
www.micamonline.com
Milan, 17 February 2016