The Portuguese footwear sector presented to the government on Tuesday a proposal under the new support for internationalisation that provides for the participation of 320 Portuguese companies in 48 fairs and exhibitions next year, industry confederation APICCAPS said today. “Although the applications could be presented until the end of the year, APICCAPS [Associação Portuguesa dos Industriais do Calçado, Componentes, Artigos de Pele e Seus Sucedâneos] anticipated and has presented a proposal to the government that provides for the participation in 48 fairs and exhibitions, 18 of which in double edition throughout the year 2023, foreseeing to support 320 participations of Portuguese companies,” says the association in a ‘newsletter’ released today. According to the association, “60% of the events in which participation is proposed, take place in markets of opportunity, reflecting the priority intended to be given to efforts of geographic diversification of national exports. In addition, the association said it planned to “prospect and be present in international markets, by carrying out business missions aimed at five markets of opportunity,” as well as international promotion and marketing initiatives, in this case adding “a more diversified set of initiatives, including support for companies to implement digital marketing solutions.
According to APICCAPS, the application submitted “contributes to broaden and renew the export base of the sector” since “among the 88 pre-acceding companies, there are 27 (31%) that did not participate in the previous project and 16 companies (18%) that do not present relevant international activity”. The association said that this renewal was “an aspect of the utmost importance, since “the international footwear market is extremely competitive and thirsty for novelties”. “The maintenance of the good performance that the Portuguese footwear has achieved in international terms is not possible without a permanent rejuvenation of its protagonists,” he said. In the current “more demanding economic environment, foreseeing a general economic slowdown for next year”, the association argues that “the sectors of footwear and leather goods should prepare themselves and strengthen their presence in international markets”, so it chose to submit now, on behalf of the sector, an application to the incentive systems. “Only by investing regularly and consistently, namely through the presence in international fairs, will it be possible to maintain the current customers and find new ones that arise every day in the market”, emphasises, noting that some of the main competitors of the Portuguese footwear “are already doing this path in a very strong way and have been present in a significant and expressive way in the most recent international fairs”. The €30 million to strengthen internationalisation is part of the €1.4 billion aid package to companies announced by the Government on September 15, privileging the new tender the actions of collective nature.