Domestic market demands stock replacement and helps footwear and textiles sectors
Valor Econômico - 02/08/2008
The replacement of stocks put the industry of semi-durable consumption goods into motion in January. The manufacturers of footwear and textiles registered sales increase in January, despite the foreign exchange that continued hindering exportations. At the same time, the internal income helped leverage the industry of foods and beverages. The Brazilian Association of the Footwear Industry (Abicalçados) pointed a slight increase of 1% in the January exportations compared to the same month of 2007, to US$ 169 million, and the perspectives are also favorable in the domestic market. For the aggregate of 2008, the growth goal is 41%, to 2.4 million pairs, taking into account the stronger demand for summer feminine products in the second semester. More conservative, in 2008 the Abicalçados works with scenarios of stability in the exportations and a "slight increase" of production and consumption in the domestic market. In the textile and manufactured fashion segments, a positive first quarter is expected without great optimism. The director superintendent of the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (Abit), Fernando Pimentel, explains that the relatively positive perspectives result from the good sales in the end of 2007 and from the fact that the retailers have no stocks left from last winter.