Steep fall in footwear imports
As a result of the decrease in consumption and tariff policies on footwear imports, the organization that represents producers, traders and importers, reported that the volume of footwear imports from the United States fell by 18.9% year-on-year in January 2021. It is the eleventh double-digit drop in the past thirteen months and the seventeenth consecutive drop since Trump's tariff hike against China's footwear went into effect in September 2019.
In the last month of January 2021, only 186.8 million pairs entered the country, which represented the largest drop in 18 years this month.
Among the top 6 foreign footwear suppliers in the United States, which account for 95.6% of footwear imports, shipments in early 2021 decreased year-over-year by -19.8% on average.
Footwear imports in January were lower compared to the previous year in all product categories: women (-26.6%), men (-21.9%), children (-13.2%), sports ( -12.5%), boots (-7.9%), leather (-21.3%) and sandals (-23.3%).
Finally, the entity that brings together large importers pointed out that it will not stop demanding from the federal government the reduction of tariffs on footwear imports, since they make products more expensive and consumers end up paying for them. They allege that the tariffs for footwear are very high, with an average of 11%, reaching 48% and 67% in certain types of products.
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