“Recent international trade shows have confirmed that the footwear sector is going through a time of great difficulty" noted Assocalzaturifici Chairman Cleto Sagripanti in a recent press release issued by the Italian Footwear Association. "This is why we're asking the government not to abandon us, but to offer us concrete support at this critical time for businesses in our sector, starting with an essential cut in regional production tax and allocation of funds to research and development. These are measures that can really give a boost to enterprises suffering from uncertainty on world markets, particularly Russia. We are working on a programme for supporting incoming enterprises and developing new initiatives to promote Obuv’ Mir Koži, a historic event in our industry, to support the Russian market, but we can't do it alone: the government should not sit by idle, but support our international promotional efforts, because we're convinced that investing more resources is the best way out of this serious impasse."

The association says the balance of Obuv’ Mir Koži in Russia was affected by the unfavorable trend on the market in recent months. The Russian and former Soviet Republics markets are of strategic economic and commercial importance for the Italian footwear industry. “We're very worried about the drop in the number of orders received at Obuv’ Mir Koži, which is primarily due to the prudence and decreased purchasing power of Russian buyers rather than a failure of Italian products to attract final consumers" commented Ronny Bigioni, Coordinator of Assocalzaturifici's Russian team. "This is why we continue to be committed to promoting our industry, especially in this area. We intended to expand the event, traditionally a leading trade fair and a key event for the entire area, by continuing to work in close harmony with the Italian Trade Agency."

According to the Italian Footwear Association the country’s footwear exports to Russia in the first six months of 2014 confirm the negative impact of the political and economic issues in the area. According to that source, 3.5 million pairs of shoes were exported between January and June, an 18.4% drop in volume over the first half of 2013. The 21.7% drop in value is also important, representing a total of just over 250 million euros.