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Portuguese footwear heads to Poland as industry looks to diversify markets

Oct 1, 2024 Portugal

Krakow is the next stop in the international promotion of Portuguese footwear. A showcase of Portuguese brands will take place from the 9th to the 10th of October at Expo Krakow, at the same time as Polshoes

As part of the Portuguese footwear industry’s market diversification strategy, promoted by the Portuguese Association of Footwear, Components and Leather Goods Manufacturers (APICCAPS), a showcase of Portuguese footwear brands will take place at Expo Krakow between the 9^thand the 10^th of October, along with the Polish trade fair Polshoes.

“We started these surgical actions last year in Hungary, continued them this year in South Korea, and now it’s time to invest in Poland”, said Luis Onofre, President of APICCAPS, which has been identified as a potential target for the Portuguese industry.

In general, European markets, especially those within the EU, have obvious advantages for the industry. According to Vasco Rodrigues, coordinator of the Footwear Cluster Strategic Plan 2030, “the penetration of Portuguese footwear shows significant differences between the various EU markets, even after controlling for the impact of factors that differentiate them, such as population, income and distance from Portugal”.

However, “standardising performance in the different markets and bringing it into line with the best results currently achieved by national exporters would allow significant growth in exports to various markets in the centre and east of the EU, such as Austria, Poland or the Czech Republic”,

With a population of 37 million, Poland’s GDP per capita of 28,200 euros is still below the EU average (35,500 euros), but it has grown by 37% in the last five years and now accounts for 3.9% of the EU’s total GDP.

In addition, the World Footwear 2024 Yearbook shows that the country imports 250 million pairs of shoes every year, worth more than 4 billion. In 2022, China accounted for 60% of imports, but there was still room for other players, such as Italy, which exported 190 million euros to Poland.

For more information about the upcoming showcase, please visit the following website.

Image Credits: apiccaps.pt

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