Brazil Shoemakers Set Foot in China

SHANGHAI -- For years, Brazils shoemakers have heard footsteps right behind them-- the footsteps of Chinese retailers. But now, with anti-dumping taxes in effect and a growing number of export destinations on its roster, the industry appears to be lengthening its stride. 

Cristiano Körbes, projects coordinator for the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association, known as Abicalçados, said competition from China was fierce and had transformed the sector. But in an interview with Latin Business Chronicle, he points to success in marketing home-grown brands to a broader audience, while "watching the back" of the countrys smaller and more vulnerable shoemakers. 

"In Brazil, we are investing more and more in marketing and brands, and we are starting to compete with international brands," Körbes says. The association has even dispatched experts to Beijing and Shanghai to explore ways to take the competition right back to its main rival, on Chinas home turf.

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