The businessman heads a single list, made up of a team of 26 businessmen, who will be in charge – for the next three years – of the national business association, based in Porto and founded in 1975, that represents the entire footwear sector in Portugal (footwear industry, footwear components industry, leather goods industry and trade of equipment for the industries). Joaquim Moreira will chair the General Meeting and Domingos Ferreira the Supervisory Board.

According to Luís Onofre, “It should be recognised that in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on our activities”. In addition, highly export-oriented sectors “had to face the consequences of the war in Ukraine, particularly in terms of inflation, and the economic slowdown in our main markets”. Nevertheless, the footwear cluster has presented a new Strategic Plan for the next decade to make “the Portuguese footwear industry a major benchmark in the development of sustainable solutions”. Under the PRR, two major projects are underway, with a total investment of around 140 million euros.

In the next term, “we will have a strengthened team of businessmen leading APICCAPS”, emphasised Luís Onofre. “Together, we will try to implement what we have proposed in the strategic plan, with a focus on actions related to the internationalisation of our companies. At a time when global economies are still experiencing very modest economic growth, our ability to reach new markets and customers and move into higher value-added segments will be critical”.

In the coming months, “it is important that APICCAPS and its member companies once again demonstrate their resilience and ability to invest”, concluded Luís Onofre.

The Portuguese footwear and leather goods sector comprises just over 1 500 companies, employing 40 000 people (according to the Ministry of Labour). It exports more than 90% of its production, which at the end of last year amounted to 2 400 million euros. Over the past decade, exports from the footwear and leather goods sector have increased by around 50%.

With a strong geographical cluster, footwear and leather goods production is mainly concentrated in two centres: in the municipalities of Felgueiras and Guimarães, on the one hand, and Santa Maria da Feira, Oliveira de Azeméis and S. João da Madeira, on the other. Together, these five municipalities account for more than three-quarters of employment in the sector. Further south, in the Benedita area, there is another centre, which, although smaller in numbers, is nevertheless very important.