The Italian shows attract a lot of interest among buyers from all parts of the area, with whom contacts have been established and deals signed reflecting the vitality and active role of a market that has great potential for growth and demonstrates growing appreciation of Italian footwear.

“Our satisfaction with the results obtained by participating in the Russian and C.I.S. areas demonstrates that the excellence of Italian footwear is managing to hold its ground despite the crisis that has been afflicting our markets for a long time now,” says Ronny Bigioni, coordinator of ANCI’s Russian branch. “Our product increasingly meets the expectations of the trade, and makes a significant contribution to setting new trends the world over”.

“Made in Italy” has always stood for excellence, quality, design and “well-made” shoes: Italian footwear has a particularly strong appeal for traders in the area, who have on recent occasions confirmed their confidence in Italian footwear makers’ dependability and reputation.

“This achievement is the result of ANCI’s work over the years,” comments ANCI president Cleto Sagripanti, “allowing Italian-made footwear to express its potential in the best possible way and making its excellence increasingly visible to a demanding public that insists on buying cult products such as Italian shoes, true objects of desire. The first six months of 2012 saw double-digit growth in exports to both Russia (+15.1%) and Kazakhstan (+22.3%) as compared to the first half of 2011. Consumers and retailers are demonstrating their intention of consolidating their relationship with Italian footwear makers, leading companies who presented collections at the events which they had designed specifically for local markets - Russia, the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and central Asia. This required a special effort, but it was definitely worth it, in view of the results achieved at the three events”.

The ITALIAN FOOTWEAR SHOW was held in Kiev, capital city of the Ukraine, on November 12 and 13 at the Ballroom in the Hyatt Regency Hotel with the participation of 18 footwear and leather goods makers, who met with 110 dealers at the show. The prestigious event location Dom Priemov in the centre of the city of Almaty hosted the ITALIAN FOOTWEAR SHOW in Kazakhstan November 7 through 9: the country’s only trade fair focusing on Italian-made footwear and leather accessories, where 44 footwear and leather goods makers and 13 clothing manufacturers met with 250 buyers from all over Central Asia.

ICE Agenzia was a strategic partner at both these initiatives for international expansion.

Obuv’ Mir Koži, the most important footwear event in the C.I.S. area, held twice yearly in Moscow, was a success for the 213 Italian companies who showed off their collections in more than 5,200 square metres of display space from October 16 to 19 . Obuv’ Mir Koži is an International Footwear and Leather Show organised by ANCI and Fairsystem, a Bolognafiere company, at Expocentr, the most important trade fair centre in the Russian capital. The fall edition of the fair was accompanied by a series of related events and initiatives with the participation of delegations of buyers from all over the Russian-speaking world, an image campaign supporting Italian-made footwear and a local press office giving Italian companies greater visibility in key local media.

Upcoming ANCI events promoting Italian footwear all over the world

RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND c.i.s. area
January 21-24, 2013 - Consumexpo
Expocentr - Moscow – Russia
March 18-21,2013 – Obuv’ Mir Koži
Expocentr – Moscow – Russia
April 3-5, 2013 – Shoes from Italy
Dom Priemov – Almaty – Kazakhstan
April 18-19, 2013 – Workshop della calzatura italiana in Siberi
Ekaterinburg – Russia
April 22-23, 2013 – Shoes from Italy
Hyatt Regency Hotel – Kiev – Ukraine

ASIA
January 29-31, 2013 - Shoes From Italy (to be confirmed
Westin Hotel - Tokyo
April 9-11, 2013 - theMICAM Shanghai
Shanghai Exhibition Center - Shanghai – China

(28/11/2012)