Making its return is the eagerly awaited and critical rendezvous with Obuv’ Mir Koži at the Moscow Expocentre, which over the next few days, will present an attentive selection of Made in Italy footwear and leather goods assisted by Assocalzaturifici and with the support of the ICE Agency. More than 130 Italian brands will present the new collections for Fall Winter 2019/20 to buyers and members of the trade coming mainly from the Republics of the Russian Federation and from the surrounding States, starting with Belarus, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. In 2017, over 6.3 million pairs of Italian shoes were exported to Russia, corresponding to a value of 380 million euros, while during the first 11 months of 2018, Italy exported 5.2 million pairs, equal to 316 million euros (for a drop-off of -11.5% compared to the same period in 2017).
Despite the difficulties that have characterised this market in recent years, it remains of fundamental importance for Italian footwear and leather goods (in 2018, Russia confirmed itself as the sixth most important market in terms of value and eighth most important market in terms of volume for Italian exports) and Obuv Mir Kozi remains the most prestigious window onto the Russian territory.
“Our association continues to provide concrete support to businesses that want to reinforce their activities in an area that is extremely critical for our exports – confirmed Annarita Pilotti, President of Assocalzaturifici -. Despite the focus on prices that has become increasingly relevant, the Russian consumer continues to seek out a quality product that is the maximum expression of a beautiful and well-made Italian product. Moreover, in recent times, the strong upswing in online sales channels has further eased the entry of Italian businesses into this market”.
For more than 10 years, the ICE Agency has supported the event, contributing to reinforcing the image of Italian products through supporting actions that include in particular the organisation of incoming services for professional foreign buyers.