The general economic picture is obviously difficult to read, let alone the one of this sector. For this reason we are keeping institutional channels with companies and trade associations as open as possible, in order to better communicate developments and perspectives.
We are doing this with the launch of the #howareyou initiative or by reporting some statements of those who are experiencing the crisis in the front line.

For the Brazilian footwear world, we consulted Haroldo Ferreira, executive president of Abicalçados, who outlined the situation as follows:

“Just like other sectors, the situation of the Brazilian footwear industry is giving cause for concern. In the last few days we have noticed many interruptions in production, caused by the evident abrupt reduction in consumption on the national and international market. Abicalçados, as the sector’s representative in the country, has worked tirelessly to minimise the pandemic consequences, providing assistance to entrepreneurs and pressing demands when negotiating with governments. Beyond other measures, we proposed to defer the payment of taxes and the repayment of loans/financing funds to public banks; the creation of a credit line for companies; and the adoption of measures to make labour laws more flexible.
We are also monitoring the situation of the companies and soon we will put together a more complete picture of the impacts on production, revising – downwards – our estimation of the footwear production in 2020”.