UAE and Saudi Arabia among top importers of Brazilian shoes

The value of UAE’s footwear imports from Brazil increased 45 per cent to $6.4 million during the first three months of 2015 from $4.5 million over the same period in 2014.

By (Staff Report)

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Published: Thu 25 Jun 2015, 11:07 PM

Last updated: Wed 8 Jul 2015, 3:18 PM

Dubai — The UAE and Saudi Arabia were among the top importers of Brazilian shoes during the first quarter of 2015.

The value of UAE’s footwear imports from Brazil increased 45 per cent to $6.4 million during the first three months of 2015 from $4.5 million over the same period in 2014, the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) said, citing statistics released by the Brazilian Footwear Industry Association.

The revenue surge could be attributed to the UAE buying shoes at a lower average price in 2015. Early last year, the price averaged $10.63 and dropped to $9.32 during the same period this year.

In terms of volume, the UAE bought 700,800 pairs of shoes from Brazil as compared to 424,200 pairs last year. This represented growth of 65.2 per cent.

Saudi Arabia’s Brazilian shoe imports also climbed in the first quarter of 2015. Revenues went up 3.8 per cent to $7.9 million from $7.6 million during Q1 of 2014. The number of pairs bought jumped 5.7 per cent to 722,100 from 682,900.

Saudis paid less since the average price per pair in the first quarter of 2015 decreased by 1.8 per cent to $11.01 from $11.21 in 2014. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the only Arab countries to be included in the top 20 importers of Brazilian footwear, with the Kingdom in 10th place and the latter at 11th.

Dr Michel Alaby, secretary-general and CEO, ABCC, said: “We are seeing increasing demand for quality footwear in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Booming populations and steady economic progress are prompting them to import items from Brazil.”

business@khaleejtimes.com


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