FRANCAL: boosted recovery for the second semester
The new version of FRANCAL left good results for most of the participants. On a strictly commercial level, a good volume of sales to buyers from different Brazilian states was achieved. In this edition, the number of international buyers from 16 countries was significant, such as the United States, African nations, Portugal, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, among others.
According to the final report of the fair, 124,700 pairs were sold for US $ 2.4 million, with the projected expectation of 260 thousand pairs for the coming months for US $ 4.6 million.
According to estimates of the fair organization, on the first day of the event, the influx of public was 15% higher than in the 2018 edition, while the final calculations showed a figure close to 15 thousand visitors during the 3 days.
Date and place: June 3 to 5, 2019. Expo Center Norte, São Paulo, Brazil.
Exhibited products: Footwear in all its lines, handbags, bags, travel goods, leather goods and manufactures. Fashion accessories.
Number and origin of exhibitors: 350 national and 25 international.
Exhibition area: 30 thousand m2.
Estimated number and origins of visitors: 15 thousand national and 750 international.
Next 52nd edition: From June 1 to 3, 2020.
As usual, numerous collective stands of the main Brazilian footwear poles were present, such as Rio Grande do Sul, Nova Serrana, Franca, Paraiba, Santa Catarina, Birigui, and others.
The companies participating in the Rio Grande do Sul stand sold 79 thousand pairs to local buyers, and importers from various countries for more than one million dollars, which projected in the coming months will reach US $ 2.5 million. Based on the 1,138 contacts and 514 contracts obtained.
The 6 manufacturers of the Três Coroas stand were able to realize interesting sales with customers from Gran São Paulo, while the 14 exhibiting factories-boutiques of the Terraza Mall space declared themselves very satisfied with the business and contacts made. The same happened with Birigui representatives who were very optimistic about the next semester.
The great novelty was the 100% VAREJO (Commerce) space where 31 technology, architecture, equipment and commercial services companies were exhibited, complemented by presentations and conferences aimed at offering solutions for the transformation process.
The proposal was approved by the attendees and became a learning and training forum that provided merchants with an overview of the most modern promotion and sales trends, to increase billing. The highest demands of connected consumers were analyzed as an incentive to be more competitive and gain market, along with the use of new tools for online transactions.
Regarding this initiative and its receptivity, FRANCAL president, Abdala Jamil Abdala, said that “with the new positioning as a Footwear Trade Fair, we have fulfilled the mission of promoting business between industry and commerce, in addition to providing a lot of information, content and technology for participants”, he stressed.
For the president of the Deliberative Council of ABICALÇADOS, Caetano Bianco Neto, “the sector is confident that in the second semester there will be a stronger recovery, based on the signs of essential reforms, necessary for the ordering of public accounts and return of investments”, he explained.
The 8.5% increase in footwear production in April 2019 compared to the same month of 2018, "indicates that the wheel has started to turn positively," the official added.
The president of the Brazilian Association of Footwear Merchants –ABLAC- Marcone Tavares, said that “the new profile of the fair attracted merchants from all regions, who had the possibility of placing their first orders to the present exhibitors. We leave the fair optimistic and convinced that our businesses tend to improve soon to reach the positive levels of other periods”, he concluded.
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The realization of the supplier fair -INSPIRAMAIS- (on June 4 and 5) simultaneously with FRANCAL in fairgrounds close to 30’ of travel, positively influenced both events.
The two exhibitions are complementary, as many FRANCAL exhibitors visit INSPIRAMAIS, and a large part of INSPIRAMAIS assistants do the same with FRANCAL.
The content and complementarity of both fairs is further enhanced by visitors from abroad, who take the opportunity to obtain a comprehensive and generalized view of the footwear-manufactures-supply sector.
