After the curtain came down on the January 2023 edition of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags, the staff packed their bags and headed for India, Pakistan and Turkey, among the leading shoe and leather goods producing countries for international sourcing today.
They had a clear objective: to further strengthen market coverage and international relations with institutions and leading sector companies, in order to increase the variety of the offer, particularly bags and leather goods, at the next edition of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags.
From the left: Sanjay Leekha (Council For Leather Exports India); Mauro Di Molfetta (Gardabags); Rajendra Kumar Jalan (Council For Leather Exports India); Caterina Bricolo (Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags); Amit Chopra (Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags)
India
Indi is a key country in international manufacturing; its share of global footwear production by volume soared in 2021 (after being stable for the previous four years), reaching 11.7 per cent with 191 million pairs produced. Its exports of leather
and footwear products totalled $4.25 billion from April to December 2022 and are expected to reach $5.7 billion by March 2023.
Precisely with a view to expanding Gardabags’ offer, during the Chennai Leather Fair and the Designers Fair, Mauro Di Molfetta, Project Leader for Gardabags, and Caterina Bricolo, ERS Sales and Exhibition Executive, met Sanjay Leekha and Rajendra Kumar Jalan, President and Vice-President of CLE – Council For Leather Exports India, supported by Amit Chopra, CEO of DC International and Delegate of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags for India.
The meeting was fruitful: the CLE committed to bringing a strong group of bag manufacturers to the next edition of Gardabags in June.
Roberto Pellegrini (Riva del Garda Fierecongressi); Mansoor Ehsan Sheikh (Pakistan Footwear Manufacturers Association); Zubair Motiwala (Trade Development Authority of Pakistan); GianPaola Pedretti (Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags)
Pakistan
Producing 260 million pairs of shoes per year and with a market share of 4.9 per cent in 2021, Pakistan is one of the fastest growing countries in the sector.
As a result, the signing of an important memo between Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags and Pakistan Footwear Manufacturers Association aimed at strengthening the Pakistani presence at the Riva del Garda trade show over the next three
years even more interesting.
The document was signed by Roberto Pellegrini, Chairman of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi and Mansoor Ehsan Sheikh, Director of the PFMA, in the presence of Zubair Motiwala, Chief Executive of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan and GianPaola Pedretti, Exhibition Manager of Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags.
The visit to Pakistan was also an opportunity for institutional meetings with the Italian representation in Pakistan through the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), with a view to getting to know the exhibiting companies at the Mega Leather Show in Lahore more closely, making contact with the Pakistan Tanners Association and the Pakistan Gloves Manufacturers and Exporters Association and inviting their members to the next Gardabags.
It was also an opportunity to visit a long-standing exhibitor at Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags. SGF has been presenting its Servis brand in Riva del Garda for 35 years. With more than 500 sales outlets of its own in Pakistan, the company exports 1.5 million pairs of shoes a year to Italy alone, and exports a total of 4.5 million pairs a year.
From the left: Yavuz Uçan (TASD, the Turkish footwear manufacturers’ association); Alessandra Albarelli (Riva del Garda Fierecongressi); Berke İçten (TASD); Ying Zhang (Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags)
Turkey
Alessandra Albarelli, General Manager of Riva del Garda Fierecongressi, and Ying Zhang, Sales Exhibition Assistant, attended the Aymod fair to meet Berke İçten and Yavuz Uçan, respectively President and Vice-President of Türkiye Ayakkabı Sanayicileri Derneği, the Turkish footwear manufacturers’ association.
The meeting strengthened the already excellent relations with the Turkish manufacturing sector, whose presence and offer at Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags has grown significantly in recent years, reflecting Turkey’s position as one of the key countries for the international footwear market: 147 million pairs produced per year, allowing the country to increase its market share from 1.7 per cent in 2017 to 2.5 per cent in 2021.
Expo Riva Schuh & Gardabags is the business platform for everyone who wants to expand their markets and find the widest international sourcing offer. The Riva del Garda event will take place from 17 to 20 June 2023.
