A sector that travels with the handbrake on. It is the portrait of the Italian footwear industry, in light of the data relating to the first half of 2023 processed by the Confindustria Moda Study Center for Assocalzaturifici. Once the post-pandemic rebound has ended, exports in volume and domestic consumption slow down in the second quarter. Thanks to the rewarding results of the first half, turnover (+7.4%) and foreign sales (+10.2% in value in the first 5 months) still closed positive in the first half of the year, but not the quantities: -6.8% exported and -5.7% those made. Setback for family purchases: -1.2% in spending and -3.4% in volume.
«The widely expected slowdown finally became apparent in the second quarter of the current year – explains a note -. The strong rebound in 2021 recorded after the collapse caused by the lockdowns and the continuation of the recovery during 2022 was followed, after a still favorable start to 2023, by a marked deceleration. Starting with exports, which have always been the driving force of the sector, which in the two-month period April-May showed, after the double-digit increases of the previous months, only a weak hold in value (+1%), accompanied by a setback in volume (-14.9%). The cumulative data for the first 5 months of the year show an overall +10.2% in value, with a decrease of -6.8% in quantity".
The survey conducted by the Confindustria Moda Study Center among the footwear companies associated with Assocalzaturifici highlighted, with reference to the second quarter of 2023, a very limited trend increase in turnover (+1.2%), with a substantially flat order collection (- 0.3%). The percentage of operators who reported a decrease compared to the same period in 2022 rose to 38% (compared to 30% in the previous fraction), with 27% of respondents for whom the contraction was more marked than -10%. Employment is holding up (+1.8% compared to the end of 2022, even if the gap with pre-Covid levels remains at over 1,200 employees). However, there was a jump in the hours of layoffs in the second quarter (+44%). The selection process among the companies that recorded a drop of -3.2% between January and June does not stop. Very cautious expectations for the second part of the year, thanks to the general climate of uncertainty and the weakness of many world economies. What are your expectations for the third quarter? Turnover down on the same period of the previous year (-2.8%), for the first time after the post-pandemic restart.
