Italy Shoe Revival In Anti Dumping

"We clearly oppose the EU's implementation of anti-dumping sanctions. Chinese shoes and Italy shoes are not on the same product line. This kind of sanctions not only harms the interests of European consumers, but also is unfavorable for Italy shoe making industry to readjust its market positioning."

Frank Ballini, vice chairman of Italy Footwear Manufacturers Association, said.

In late May 2008, our reporter interviewed the top three shoemaking areas in Italy - Marche, Tuscany (Toscana) and Winito (Veneto).

This is the first time that the Italy Foreign Trade Association (ICE) and the Italy Footwear Manufacturers Association (ANCI) have jointly invited Chinese media to report the revival of Italy shoes.

In June 2007, Frank Barininovo was elected vice chairman of the association.

At the end of February 2008, they released the latest data. In the first 10 months of 2007, Italy exported 389000 pairs of leather shoes to China, an increase of 30% compared with the same period last year.

This is the first time in nearly two years since the implementation of the EU anti-dumping measures, Chinese journalists have been on the spot for the first time to visit the narrow shoes on the Yap Penny peninsula.

By the end of 2006, 71.1% of the shoemaking enterprises and 67.1% of the industry workers in Italy had been concentrated, accounting for 77% of the total industry.

The average business here exports 10 pairs of shoes, and 7 pairs are sold to the European market.

In this narrow and hilly land, there are 7 shoe making industrial zones.

When the shoe making industry in Italy reached its peak in 1995, the 7 industrial zones concentrated 8861 shoemaking enterprises with 124228 employees.

Over 80% of them are family businesses with fewer than 20 employees.

The three areas of the government, the Italy Industrial Enterprise Federation (CONFINDUSTRIA) local shoe industry branch, Brenta (Brenta) Valley shoe manufacturer Federation accepted the interview with this reporter.

In the past two years, what has happened in the European footwear market and the Italy shoe making industry. What impact does this measure have on the entry of footwear products outside China and the European Union to the European market; whether the European Commission will continue to follow up after the expiration of the sanctions, and what new circumstances and changes will affect the decision making of the European Commission, which are the most important topics of concern in China and the global shoe industry.

"We are positioning the footwear industry in Italy, taking the production line of high-end shoes and high-end shoes". Cecilia Cipriani, manager of marketing and Promotion Department of the Italy Footwear Manufacturers Association, who is accompanying us, said that this means tens of thousands of Italy shoe brands that are not widely known. Under the "Made in Italy" cultural packaging and strong driving force, they enter the center of Eastern Europe with Russia's radiation center with luxury and fashion, Mexico, the Middle East led by the United Arab Emirates, and Hongkong and China, Southeast Asia and other places.

The resurgence of Italy shoes in 2007 is a very important year for the footwear industry in Italy. After 5 years of decline, there are signs of a rebound.

Italy believes that this is mainly due to two factors.

The first is the EU's anti-dumping measures. The two is the pformation of Italy shoe making industry to develop emerging markets and take high-end footwear routes.

According to the latest data released by the Italy Footwear Manufacturers Association at the end of February 2008, Italy exported 389000 pairs of leather shoes to China in the first 10 months of 2007, an increase of 30% compared with the same period last year.

This is a new starting point for the game.

Since late May 2008, our reporter has conducted field interviews in the top three shoemaking areas of Italy - Marche, Tuscany (Toscana) and Winito (Veneto).

The most heard word here is that in 2007, the shoe industry in Italy turned around.

Italy is the production base of European shoe products industry.

The average business here exports 10 pairs of shoes, and 7 pairs are sold to the European market.

In this narrow and hilly land, there are 7 shoe making industrial zones.

When the shoe making industry in Italy reached its peak in 1995, the 7 industrial zones concentrated 8861 shoemaking enterprises with 124228 employees.

Over 80% of them are family businesses with fewer than 20 employees.

Since 2000, the footwear industry in newly industrialized countries such as China has expanded rapidly with the characteristics of large-scale, low-cost and labor-intensive, resulting in unprecedented impact on the traditional shoe making industry, which originated in the handicraft industry.

In Italy, the shoe making industry has become the ancient Rome arena where the fittest surviving. Enterprises are struggling and pforming in pain.

Since 2006, the European Commission has imposed anti-dumping duties of up to 16.5% and 10% on imported leather shoes produced by China and Vietnam, which will expire in October 6th this year.

"The difference between the middle and high grade shoes and the shoes exported from China is too large in terms of material selection and workmanship. Especially in the design and manufacturing process of the most important sole parts, China's products and we are not a target market at all," said Italy.

GB agent Luo Yunqin told our reporter.

Shoemaking enterprises in Marche have found a new big market outside the European Union, that is, the Far East Russia.

Russia has a very strong consumption power for Italy's high-end shoes. Now every year, 40% of the buyers of MICAM shoes are from Russia. Since its sale in Russia in 1996, Russian sales have accounted for about 70% of Marche's total sales today.

The Italy Footwear Manufacturers Association announced in February 26, 2008 that only in 2002 to 2005, the output of the footwear industry in Italy dropped rapidly at a rate of two digits per year, with a total reduction of about 1/3 in four years.

Until 2006, the decline rate of production slowed to -7.5% for the first time.

The EU anti-dumping policy on Chinese shoe enterprises has achieved immediate results in the narrow Apennines.

By 2007, such a continuous decline has finally been curbed, compared with the same period in 2006, output has decreased by only -0.6%.

Italy Footwear Manufacturers Association believes that after five years of continuous recession, the footwear industry in Italy got a breathing space in 2007. In 2007, the equipment utilization rate of the whole industry was about 86%, and is expected to remain in the first half of 2008.

Many basic data are flat or even upward.

A sample survey conducted by the relevant associations in Italy showed that the output of 53% of the surveyed enterprises in 2007 was unchanged from 2006, and 19% of the enterprises increased compared with the same period last year. 50% of the companies thought that the foreign orders would be the same as that in 2007. 32% of the companies will continue to increase the number of international orders predicted compared with the same period in 2007.

The "Made in Italy" secret Milan international footwear exhibition is one of the world's three largest footwear exhibitions sponsored by the Italy Footwear Manufacturers Association. It is the stage for Italy's small and medium-sized enterprises to display "Made in Italy". It is also the vane of the international footwear industry. It is almost the top brand in the world. The booth rents amount to 130 euro / square meters. This year, more than 1300 exhibitors, including more than 800 in Italy, and Milan international shoes exhibition are among the three major shoe exhibitions in the world sponsored by Italy Footwear Manufacturers Association.

We have seen in the brochure of shoemaking enterprises distributed in Marche that only 231 enterprises in Fermo have participated in the international shoe exhibition held in Milan in February 2008.

Only the exhibition can bring hundreds of millions of yuan of income to Italy Shoe Association every year.

"Italians have a tradition of mercantilism.

To measure a person's success depends on whether he is doing the best, not the greatest. "

Lai Shiping, chief coordinator of the Italy foreign trade association and director of Beijing office, said.

This may be explained by examining the newly elected chairman and vice chairman of the Italy Footwear Manufacturers Association last year.

President Vito Altiori (Vito Artiori) is a fashion designer and stylist designer from Lombardia. Since 2005, he has been the vice-chairman of the European footwear Federation (CEC). His family business is famous for producing advanced handmade leather shoes.

The other four vice chairmen are from Markey, Tuscany and Venetian.

Among them, vice chairman Lino Fornari (Lino Fornari) is a leader in Marche, and also a pioneer in Italy shoe making industry.

A two-year pition period of anti dumping from a senior market manager from Trieste, Italy also has more room for maneuver for shoe companies.

Below this, they are more successful by developing new markets.

In the first 10 months of 2007, a total of 216 million 800 thousand pairs of shoes and shoes were exported to Italy, and the total export volume was about 6 billion 56 million 400 thousand euros. The trade surplus amounted to more than 3 billion 200 million euros, representing an increase of 2.2% in the trade surplus in 2006 and an increase of 14.7% in the same period in 2007.

Among them, Germany and France are still the most important exporters of Italy shoes, the United States third, Russia has surpassed the UK to become the fourth largest footwear export trading country in Italy.

It is worth noting that the average export price is 27.94 euro / double, of which leather shoes are 35.16 euro / double, accounting for 66.5% of total exports and 83.7% of total exports; synthetic leather shoes are 12 euros / pairs, accounting for 18.17% of total exports and 7.8% of total exports.

"Japan is one of the favorite markets in the footwear industry in Italy. This market is pursuing high, sophisticated and sharp points. It is not entirely superstitious that a brand of shoes is the best test ground for developing high-tech new products."

Once worked in the Markey area, now Marco Rimini, a senior market manager in Venetian District, said.

Market managers like Marco Rimini have access to them in three large areas.

Usually, such an independent manager will act as agent for the market development business of many shoemaking enterprises, but entrust enterprises to require that the products represented by market managers can not be competitive.

"We have visited Chengdu many times to investigate the local shoemaking area and prepare to do business there.

The local matching is quite complete.

For China's shoemaking industry, the key is not to copy others in order to have their own.

To make the consumer clear, the shoes you produce come from "Made in China" instead of "Made in France" or something else.

Baraldo, chairman of the shoe industry association of the tower.

"Italy is narrower and narrower than China, but its natural climate and landform are complex and diverse.

In the hilly area, there are many small and medium-sized enterprises in Italy, and the number of Companies in Markey is 1:9, with an average of 4-5 product brands per company and some companies as high as 20.

Raimundo Orsetti's new position is Marche International Cooperation Promotion Officer.