A step further in consolidating the Latin American bloc
The XXVI edition of the Latin American Footwear Forum took place on May 20th, 2024, in São Paulo, bringing together countries from the region such as Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Peru, El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay, and Chile, with Italy also participating.
The event is an initiative of the Association of Footwear Chambers of Latin America (ACCAL) with the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (ABICALÇADOS) serving as the host entity this time. Its purpose is to foster integration among sector organizations, exchange successful case studies, and share knowledge.
The forum highlighted the region's global significance as the second-largest footwear producer. Latin America and the Caribbean represent a population of 665 million people and have a GDP of US$ 6.6 trillion. Projections estimate a GDP growth of 2% for 2024 and 2.5% for 2025.
Regarding the footwear industry's foreign trade, the region’s exports totaled US$ 2.5 billion in 2023, while imports amounted to US$ 6.1 billion.
Specifically, footwear production in Latin America reached 1.4 billion pairs, according to ABICALÇADOS estimates.
These figures were presented by Priscila Linck from Brazil in her conference “Opportunities for Footwear in Latin America.” Four panels were also conducted, featuring representatives from the participating countries: “Common Industry Challenges,” “Promotion of Local and International Trade,” “Industry Innovations,” and “International Footwear Fairs.”
The program also included success stories, talks on trends, retail trade and fashion.
The forum was also a space for the signing of the Minutes of Agreement. Among the points reflected in the document are the commitment of each country to share experiences; the rejection of unfair and illegal practices in international trade; and the requirement to provide information about the prohibition when importing used footwear.
Participants in the working meeting included Daniel Risafi and Horacio Moschetto (CIC – Argentina); Haroldo Ferreira, Caetano Bianco Neto, and Cristian Schlindwein (ABICALÇADOS – Brazil); Germán González Cubillos and William Parrado Basto (ACICAM – Colombia); Jorge Pérez and Miguel Gutiérrez (CALTU – Ecuador); Alejandro Biasiolli (CICU – Uruguay); Mauricio Battaglia Velázquez and Lucia Herrera Lozano (CICEG – Mexico); Héctor Antonio Ramos (ASPCA – El Salvador); Alejandro Delgado (CAMCUNIC – Nicaragua); Ricardo Espinoza (EXPODETALLES – Peru); and José Manuel Tojín and Edwin Reyes (GRECALZA – Guatemala).
The 27th edition of the event in 2025 will be held in Mexico, organized by CICEG/CANAICAL. The specific city and date will be confirmed later, although it has already been decided to take place in May.
For 2026, Peru might be the meeting point, as EXPODETALLES has applied to host the event.
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