'Shoes from Italy Almaty' gathers 300 buyers

Rome - The internationalization of the Italian Association of Shoes Manufacturers, Assocalzaturifici, continues after the success obtained at the Trade Fair 'Shoes from Italy Almaty'. Hosted at the premises of Almaty's Dom Priemov from April 5 to 7, the event was promoted and organised in association with ICE, the Italian Trade Agency, in the financial capital of Kazakhstan, Almaty.

'Shoes from Italy Almaty' is the most important event for the footwear market in Central Asia. 180 buyers coming from all the provinces of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kirgizstan and Tajikistan had the opportunity of looking at the products showcased by 32 footwear and leather goods brands. Following a year of hardships, the 'Shoes from Italy Almaty' event reported a good turnout with an increase in the number of buyers, proving that the Italian industrial footwear sector is still a benchmark for the fashion market in the area, in spite of the fact that exports dropped substantially in the past year, accounting for a 14.7 percent loss against 2015.

The event also confirmed the solid cooperation with ICE, which is characterized by an important incentive programme addressed to the best buyers from Central Asia. In 2016, Italian exports accounted for 23.3 million euro, down 21 percent from 2015, with an average price of 68 euro /pair of shoes. After Almaty, Assocalzaturifici continued its international roadshow across the CSI countries travelling to Kiev, Ukraine, where the 'Shoes from Italy Kiev' event, took place at the city's Hyatt Regency Hotel, on April 12 and 13, with the operational support of ICE Kiev. A B2B workshop was addressed to the the leather and footwear companies in the CSI area.

It was also a major opportunity for many of the Italian footwear SMEs to enter the Ukrainian market. 'Shoes from Italy Kiev' enjoyed the participation of 35 Italian firms working in the industrial sectors of footwear, leather goods, fur and leather overcoats. 120 buyers visited the Fair. After two years during which the event did not take place due to the country's political instability, the numbers of buyers and exhibitors have remained satisfactory.