The second edition of BFSHOW, footwear fair that took place between May 21st and 23rd, at the Transamerica Expo Center, in São Paulo/SP, generated optimism for the second half of sales in the footwear industry. With 318 exhibiting brands, the fair received more than 9 thousand people, among Brazilian buyers and from all continents of the world. The fair is a realization of the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados) in partnership with NürnbergMesse Brasil.

The executive chairman of Abicalçados, Haroldo Ferreira, points out that the fair confirmed the positive growth projection for the sector throughout 2024. "This year, we have an estimate of growth between 0.9% and 2.2%. The success of the fair, both in negotiations with the domestic and foreign markets, make us more optimistic and close to the highest side of the range”, celebrates the leader. According to him, BFSHOW demonstrated the strength and unity of the Brazilian footwear sector. “I am sure that this sector, with all its power of resilience, has the potential to grow further. We need better conditions of competitiveness, because we are productive and competent in what we do. The accomplishment of BFSHOW proves this,” he added.

For the CEO of NürnbergMesse Brasil, João Paulo Picolo, the fair, in its second edition, is consolidated as the largest in the country. “We are not the ones who are saying it, it is the exhibitors, shopkeepers and importers present in it. The move of the fair to São Paulo, with a better infrastructure and facilitated logistics to receive thousands of buyers with comfort and convenience is a differential that is strengthening the event as one of the main in the world and giving due recognition to the Brazilian footwear industry”, he highlights. The executive also says that, on the first day alone, the fair beat all the visitation achieved in the first edition. “And it wasn't just volume, we've had quality. The people who came, came focused on business”, he evaluates.

Energy shot
The BFSHOW was a real energy shot for the national footwear industry, still very shaken by what is happening in Rio Grande do Sul, the largest exporter and second largest producer of footwear in Brazil. The keyword for the 56 Gaucho brands participating in the BFSHOW was resilience. With logistical difficulties, since Porto Alegre's airport was hit hard by the floods and is not expected to reopen until September, many came by alternative airports or even by buses and vans to São Paulo. “The Gaucho footwear sector showed a strength that impressed everyone here at BFSHOW. I am convinced that, by the end of May, more than 90% of footwear production in Rio Grande do Sul will be normalized”, projects the CEO of Abicalçados.

One of the Gaucho exhibitors is Sugar Shoes, from Picada Café / RS. Manufacturing the brands Coca-Cola Shoes, Diversão, Aramis and Street, the group was at the BFSHOW presenting its Spring-Summer collections. According to Director Rodaika Diel, the fair surprised positively, because in addition to lots of movement, it generated business on site with buyers from all over Brazil and part of the world. "Buyers praised, in addition to the products presented, the structure of the fair and the fact that it is located in São Paulo, which facilitates the logistics for the visit”, she evaluates. She also says that a large argentinian group, which had a scheduled visit to the factory and could not go due to flooding, was at the fair and closed business. “We are very happy and looking forward to the November edition”, she concludes.

Pampili, children's footwear industry from Birigui / SP, was also satisfied with the event. The company's International Business Coordinator, Lismeire da Silva Santos, hardly stopped serving buyers, especially from outside the country. "Looking at the international market retraction scenario, the fair becomes even more relevant and with results above expectations”, she says. According to her, the logistics of the fair, in São Paulo, greatly facilitated the visit of major international players. “We opened three new international markets here, Costa Rica, Chile and Yemen, in addition to receiving traditional customers, mainly from Latin America,” she says, stressing that the matchmaking job (service that crosses demand with product supply), carried out by Abicalçados, greatly facilitated negotiations, making BFSHOW an event with a total focus on business. The director of the company, Sergio Andreazzi, corroborates the professional's opinion, highlighting that the fair is recovering the prestige of the sector's national shows. “The second edition of BFSHOW took a step, a big step, compared to its first edition. I'm sure the next edition, in the New Anhembi, will be even better. We will be there and we will need an even larger space" he assesses.

Collective strength
At the collective stand of Nova Serrana, which brought together 60 brands from the footwear pole in Minas Gerais in a space of more than 1.2 thousand meters within the Transamerica Expo Center, Stir was another company satisfied with the results achieved, especially in the domestic market. “We've received a large number of visits from Brazilian buyers, mainly from the São Paulo market, which absorbs 45% of our sales,” says Conrado Lacerda, from the commercial department. According to him, the grouping of the Minas footwear location in a single space further enhanced participation. "At the next fair, we will have even more brands. Those who did not come, will want to come”, he concludes.

International market
In addition to the great visitation of buyers from all regions of Brazil, BFSHOW had an expressive presence of importers from all continents. According to the promoter, there were more than 60 accredited countries. Through a joint effort carried out by Abicalçados, the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) - through the Brazilian Footwear program - and NürnbergMesse Brasil, more than 150 international buyers from 98 groups were brought to Brazil. "Adding to the foreign buyers who came on their own, we should exceed three hundred importers,” says Abicalçados' Business and Relationship Manager, Letícia Sperb Masselli.

The buyer of the Armando Company Group from Kuwait, Daniel Krayem, points out that the fair united organization with new releases in accordance with the main trends in the world market. “We have made great contacts that will certainly generate future business. It was quite easy to find the shoes we needed because of the arrangement by segments”, he evaluates.

In the coming days, Abicalçados and NürnbergMesse Brasil will release the figures of the negotiations carried out by the buyers brought by BFSHOW.

Help RS
As it could not be otherwise, the fair was also the stage for solidarity with those affected by the floods in Rio Grande do Sul. The fair spread several totems with QR code to send PIX to the Movement Next Steps RS, that is raising financial resources that will be directed to the restructuring of the living conditions of the impacted footwear-related families.

Move to SP
A fact quite celebrated during the second edition of BFSHOW, the coming to the capital of São Paulo became definitive. "The fair grew roots in São Paulo. In the next edition, the event will be even bigger, held in the New Anhembi District, a space that has received investment of more than R$ 500 million and is fully prepared to host an event of the magnitude of BFSHOW with comfort, security and facilitated logistics”, announces Picolo. The next edition of the fair takes place between November 11th and 13th, 2024.

About Abicalçados
Abicalçados is the entity that represents the national industry, the fifth largest producer of footwear in the world, the largest in the West. Founded in 1983, Abicalçados, is headquartered in Novo Hamburgo / RS, has in its membership companies of all sizes and that account for more than 65% of the total pairs of shoes produced in the country. The entity represents an industry that directly employs more than 300 thousand people. Its mission is to represent, defend, develop and promote the Brazilian footwear industry, with respect, excellence and results.

About the operator
NürnbergMesse Brasil is a subsidiary of the NürnbergMesse Group, one of the 15 largest international event organizing companies in the world. The group's portfolio has more than 120 international fairs and congresses (14 of them in Brazil) and more than 40 pavilions. Annually, around 30,000 exhibitors and more than 1.5 million visitors attend the events organized by NürnbergMesse, which is present, through its subsidiaries, in China, the United States, Brazil, Greece, Italy and India. The group also has a network of about 50 representatives, operating in more than 116 countries.