Overall, Portuguese footwear exports rose by 25.2% in the first quarter of this year, as compared to the same period in 2021, growing in practically all the most relevant markets. In Europe, growth reached 23.2%, with emphasis on the performances in Germany (up by 17% to 111 million euros), France (up by 24.2% to 106 million euros) and the Netherlands (up by 28, 7% to 75 million euros). Likewise, the good performance in the UK carries on: growth of 29.5% to 28 million euros.

The highlight goes, however, to the increase of Portuguese footwear exports in extra-community markets. In the US, exports had a growth of 64.8% to 22 million euros. Moreover, Portuguese footwear is registering an excellent performance in Canada (by 62% more to 5 million euros), China (by 96% more to 3.8 million euros) and Japan (by 37.4% more to 2.5 million euros).

"Despite all the external constraints, the indicators suggest that 2022 will be a year of affirmation for Portuguese footwear in international markets. Exports grew not only when compared to the previous year, but also surpassed those of 2019, the year immediately before the pandemic", commented Luís Onofre. For the President of APICCAPS, "Portuguese footwear is returning to the markets after two pandemic years, with expressive growth in extra-community markets, which allows furthering the sector's strategy of deepening its presence in markets with high growth potential".