Portuguese footwear exports reach record in 2017

According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), footwear exports from the Portuguese sector reached a new historical high in 2017, increasing by 2.8% to 1965 million euros, accumulating eight consecutive years of growth in international markets.

 

The Portuguese Association of Footwear, Components and Leather Goods and its Substitutes - APICCAPS, states that since 2009, sales of Portuguese footwear abroad have increased more than 50%. Product of an unprecedented move in the international markets, Portugal started to export 700 million euros more, amplifying the geography of exports to more than 20 new destinations.

In 2017, Portugal exported a total of 83 million pairs of footwear - more than 95% of production - to 152 countries of the five continents, with Europe remaining the main destination of national exports. Although, it is visible the growing interest of Portuguese companies in exploring markets outside the European continent.

Outside the European Union, Portuguese exports increased 7.1%, important to note the good performance achieved in Russia (more 63% to 33 million euros), Angola (more 6% to 18 million euros) and China (more 3% to 13 million euros). As for Canada and the US, the country which is in the focus of APICCAPS actions this year, exports decreased 1.5% to 99 million euros.

With the ambition of "being the most modern industry in the world, combining knowledge with the most modern technologies", the Portuguese footwear sector intends to invest 50 million euros by 2020 in the frame of an innovation program and digital economy – the FOOTUre 4.0.

According to APICCAPS, the FOOTure 4.0 defined four "strategic priorities": to create ways of customer interaction in a digital and network context; to improve flexibility, customer response time, business intelligence and sustainability; to qualify the industry sector for Industry 4.0, making it more dynamic, innovative and able to create business; and to improve the intelligence and image of the industry sector.