Portuguese footwear exports registered a 2.1% decline in the first half, totaling 813 million euros. This drop represents a reduction in the value of international sales of the sector compared to the same period of the previous year.
The data was released by the Portuguese Association of Footwear, Components, Leather Articles and their Substitutes Industry (APICCAPS), the entity that monitors and represents the footwear sector in Portugal.
Despite the decrease, the Portuguese decline was less pronounced than that recorded by its main European competitors. Italy, one of the largest footwear producers on the continent, saw its exports fall 4.3% through May, while Spain, another competing Iberian market, suffered a retraction of 7.3% in the same period.
Thus, although Portugal faced a decline in its footwear exports, the country's performance exceeded that of its two main direct competitors in the European market, which may represent a gradual recovery of the national sector's competitiveness.
