All Trade & Sourcing articles
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French footwear exports flat
In the first 10 months of 2024, French footwear exports totaled €4.6 billion, in line with the same period last year, according to Alliance France Cuir. Overall exports of French leather goods increased by 3 percent to €10.7 billion over the period.
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ArticleHong Fu breaks ground on its Tamil Nadu factory
On Dec. 16, MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, laid the foundation stone for a manufacturing unit of the Taiwanese footwear firm Hong Fu Industrial Group at the SIPCOT Park Industrial Estate at Panapakkam in the Ranipet district. The 1,500 crore rupee (€168 million) ...
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ArticleEU and Mercosur conclude free trade agreement talks
After 25 years of negotiations, the European Union and Mercosur countries have concluded talks on a free trade agreement, according to Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. ”We have concluded the negotiations for the EU-Mercosur agreement. It marks the beginning of a new story. I now ...
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EU-Mercosur free trade deal “in sight”
A free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur countries is “in sight” after 25 years of negotiations, according to Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission. “Touchdown in Latin America. The finish line of the EU-Mercosur agreement is in sight. Let’s work, let’s cross it. ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: BFShow to grow with the Brazilian footwear industry
Haroldo Ferreira, the president of Brazilian footwear association Abicalçados, expects BFShow to grow in lockstep with the Brazilian footwear industry and believes that a free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur will also be beneficial to European shoemakers. BFShow is the trade show promoted by Abicalçados in partnership ...
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Cambodia sees apparel, footwear, travel products orders up 20-30% in 2025
Orders received by Cambodian manufacturers of apparel, footwear and travel products are expected to increase by 20 to 30 percent in 2025 compared to 2024, according to the Cambodia Confederation of Investors Association (CCIA). “This increase in orders will provide more job opportunities for workers, contributing to improved employment prospects,” ...
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ArticleFrench parliament opposes EU-Mercosur deal
The French senate and the lower house of Parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, have rejected a tentative free trade agreement negotiated by the European Commission and Mercosur. On Nov. 27, 338 senators out of 348 voted against the draft agreement. The day before, 484 members of the lower house approved ...
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Dean Shoes lays foundation stone of new Indian factory
On Nov. 15, MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, laid the foundation stone for a manufacturing unit of the Taiwanese footwear firm Dean Shoes at SIPCOT Park in Jayankondam, in the Ariyalur district. Dean Shoes is investing about $118.5 million in the facility which ...
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ArticleRussia’s footwear imports are declining
During the first nine months of 2024, Russia imported 261.6 million pairs of shoes, 11.2 percent less than the previous year, according to the Russian Center for Prospective Technologies, a government agency monitoring the retail industry. In the third quarter of 2024, the agency stated that imports were 9.7 percent ...
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US tariffs seen having limited impact on Spanish economy
The possible introduction of trade tariffs by the US is expected to have a limited impact on the Spanish economy, according to Gonzalo Gortazar, the CEO of the Spanish bank CaixaBank. He noted that only 5 percent of Spanish exports go to the US. Meanwhile, exports contribute about 40 percent ...
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ArticleCEC and Abicalçados call for a swift conclusion of EU-Mercosur free trade talks
CEC, the European footwear confederation, and Abicalçados, which represents Brazilian shoemakers, are among the 78 business associations representing a diverse array of industries from the European Union (EU) and Mercosur asking their governments to rapidly conclude negotiations for a free trade agreement between the two economic blocks. Mercosur was established ...
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ArticlePortugal’s FAIST project to create 300 jobs
The FAIST project launched by the Portuguese footwear industry to develop innovative products by the end of 2025 is expected to create 300 new jobs in the coming months, according to the project coordinator, Florbela Silva, in an interview released by the country’s footwear, components and leather goods manufacturers’ association, ...
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ArticleHigher US tariffs could sharply impact Chinese footwear imports
Proposals by President-Elect Donald Trump to increase US trade tariffs could significantly curtail footwear exports to the country, especially those from China, according to a survey carried out by Trade Partnership Worldwide for the US’ National Retail Federation (NRF). The survey analyzed six widely purchased consumer goods including footwear. The ...
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US East Coast port strike ends
A strike affecting the ports of the US East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico was suspended after the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) reached a tentative agreement. “The International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance, Ltd. have reached a tentative ...
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Lanxess exits the polymer business
Lanxess signed a contract to sell its Urethane Systems business to Japan’s UBE Corporation. The enterprise value amounts to €460 million with expected proceeds of around €500 million. With the transaction, the German specialty chemicals company exits the polymer business. The Urethane Systems business comprises five manufacturing sites globally as ...
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A long US port strike will impact supply chains
On Oct.1, about 45,000 unionized workers went on strike at ports on the US East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico which handle about half of the US’ ocean shipping. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union, which represents dockworkers across 36 ports on the East Coast and the Gulf ...
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JR One Footwear to expand production in Indian state of Tamil Nadu
JR One Footwear, a joint venture company between Phoenix Kothari Footwear and ShoeTown Group, plans to expand its presence in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu by setting up two more manufacturing facilities and leather component clusters, according to the Indian newspaper The Economic Times. The company is already investing ...
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Asian brands increase their presence in the Russian market
In the first half of 2024, several new foreign footwear brands emerged in the Russian market, according to CORE.XP, a local consultancy. For example, the Chinese footwear brand Josiny and the Chinese children’s clothing and footwear brand Balaba officially launched operations in the country. In total, 15 new brands started ...
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ArticleVirola starts exporting non-leather footwear
Virola International, an Indian company that is one of the country’s major exporters of high-quality leather shoes, has started supplying non-leather footwear to a European client. “Buying non-leather footwear from India is a big mental change for clients,” explains Ishaan Sachdeva, who runs the family-business with his father Sushil Sachdeva. ...
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Cambodia's first-half footwear exports up by 10.4%
In the first half of 2024, footwear exports from Cambodia rose by 10.4 percent to $774 million from $700.6 million dollars a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Cambodia’s exports of garments, footwear and travel goods rose by 16.5 percent to $6,246 million during the period. Garments represented ...
