A recovery was reconfirmed with greater attention to prices: this is what emerged at the 48th edition of Obuv mir Koži, held from 24 to 27 October 2017 in Moscow’s Expocentre trade fair district. Organized by JSC Expocentre and Bolognafiere, with the official support of Assocalzaturifici and the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, the event once again confirmed itself to be the leading footwear and leather goods fair of reference in Russia. 

In an exhibiting area of 4,759 net square meters, Obuv showcased the SS 2018 collections of 218 brands coming from 12 countries (Belgium, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belarus, the Republic of San Marino, the United States, Russia, Turkey, and France). The traditional “core” of exhibitors was represented by the Italian collective of companies, which included names of the calibre of Dino Bigioni, Marino Fabiani, Baldinini, Fabi, Loriblu, Nando Muzi, Mario Bruni and many others. Proposed next to them this year were the collections of 19 new entries from the special project “Journey into the world of footwear and leather goods. Made in Italy: the latest proposals from Italy”, an initiative promoted by Aimpes and Assocalzaturifici with the support of MISE.

In terms of leather goods, among the most renowned Italian brands present at the fair were Cromia, Valentino Orlandi, Orlandi Marino, Di Gregorio, Ripani, Arcadia, and Carlo Salvatelli….

The new products presented by the exhibiting brands were appreciated by the 12,000 buyers present at the event, including fifty who were selected by the ICE Agency to wrap up the mapping and profiling project dedicated to Russian retail. “From a trade fair perspective it went very well – declares Matteo Scarparo, head of Business Services at Assocalzaturifici – we had a great turnout in terms of buyers, also thanks to the big communications investment we made together with the ICE Agency, which enabled the visit of 50 buyers to the fair. In terms of business, it must be said that the Russian market by now has changed and is much more attentive to prices than it was in the past. This is perceived to a lesser degree in large cities, while those who have a clientele scattered across the province feel the need to lower prices much more: it is a phenomenon with significant repercussions. In any case, – adds Matteo Scarparo – we can say that we are satisfied with the event and its outcome: we restored the image of a strong and cohesive sector, which has recovered in volume, even if there is now greater attention to prices”.

Different initiatives took place in conjunction with the fair, starting with the organization of a programme of seminars dedicated to issues like online sales, fashion trends, visual merchandising, and instore sales. There was then the moment for social interaction represented by Assocalzaturifici’s Gala Dinner: held in Moscow’s Mir restaurant the evening of 25 October, the guest list of 420 invitees included footwear entrepreneurs, buyers, and the international press.

The next edition of Obuv will be held from 20 to 23 March 2018, once again at Moscow’s Expocentre.