Ended on the last 9th, FRANCAL 2015 gave the first step towards the greatest business period for the industry.
“We faced the crisis and created conditions to beat it.” This is how the chairman Abdala Jamil Abdala sees the role of FRANCAL 2015, held from July 6 to 9, after a first half-year marked by a setback in shoes sales in both the domestic and foreign markets.
The fair featured the official launching of the 2015/16 spring-summer fashion footwear and accessories of nearly 800 companies, accounting for over 2,000 trademarks. The season accounts for 60% of the Brazilian production in the industry and for up to 9 months of retail sales.
To Abdala, the event reached its goal, even if one takes into account the current period of economic instability: “Brazilian shop owners came and bought to supply their windows for the next season, showing confidence that the second half-year will represent business improvement even with the current economic instability.”
This confidence is shared by Heitor Klein, CEO of the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados). “The result of the negotiations held for the Brazilian retail market is noteworthy, especially for trademarks known to strongly invest in fashion, comfort, and value-added services”. To Klein, regardless of the uncertainty surrounding the country’s economic future, shop owners’ purchases exceeded the expectations.
Heitor Klein considers that FRANCAL 2015 confirmed that foreign market sales also tend to improve due to the dollar increase and the recovery of some of the main markets for the national footwear industry, including in the USA.
In this edition, 1,205 importers from 64 countries visited the fair to make businesses with Brazilian manufacturers. “Our strategy together with the foreign market has showed to be successful and brought good results to Brazilian exporters”, Abdala emphasizes.
The results of FRANCAL 2015 reached the exhibitors’ expectations that it would represent business improvement for the second half-year with a significant number of businesses made with both the domestic and foreign markets. To Abdala, the recently ended edition showed that the industry’s effort and reliability were imperative to overcome this period of instability.
FRANCAL 2015 was visited by 43,100 professionals, 15,868 of which were shop owners from all the states of Brazil.
Press release
Fabiana Alves
July/2015