Bangladesh gets attention of global footwear retailers
Saturday, 16 February 2008
Jasim Uddin Haroon
The world's renowned shoe retailers are increasingly in favour of importing footwear from Bangladesh as they want to reduce their dependency on Chinese suppliers mainly due to the environmental issues.
China is the world's largest shoe exporting country accounting for around 62 per cent of the global demand. Vietnam 8.0 per cent, Italy 12 per cent and the rest of the world provide the remaining 18 per cent.
The elite shoes retailers are desperately want Bangladesh as their next destination following moderate facilities exists here with strong backward linkages.
Quoting officials of the branded companies, one senior executive told the FE: "They do not want to import from Sri Lanka following problems there and India for bureaucratic tangles".
Experts from Gucci of Italy, Nike of United Kingdom, Reebok of Germany, Timberland of the USA and the ABC-Mart Incorporate of Japan recently visited a number of local shoe factories and enquired about the existing infrastructures, shoe manufacturers said.
The world's leading branded retailers mainly want to import sports shoes, ladies shoes and dress shoes from local manufacturers.
A number of world's renowned shoe makers also want to produce shoes in joint venture in the country.
Chairman of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather Goods and Footwear Exporters Association (BFLLGFEA) Tipu Sultan told the FE that officials of the world's leading branded shoe companies have been visiting our shoe factories over the past few months.
He also said: "Some of the branded companies are now involved in sampling with the local companies".
Local companies started exporting shoes since 1980's.
He also said : "shoe is the most branded product. It takes time to mature. I think local companies will get good orders from the world's leading shoes retailers".
Currently, the world market for shoe and other leather products is more than US$ 100 billion a year and the sports shoe accounts for nearly $40 billion.
The officials of the branded companies visited all leading factories in Dhaka and outside the capital and held elaborate business discussion with the local shoe manufacturing management.
The factories those were visited by the foreign shoe makers include Apex Shoes, Jennys Footwear Limited, HNH footwear, and Bay Footwear.
Jennys Footwear Limited, a leading local shoe manufacturing company and having capacity around 4000 pairs each day, said America's leading shoe retailer Timberland had visited their factories and they expressed their satisfaction over the production process.
"Timberland officials were too pleased with us. We are hoping they might give good orders to our company," said Mazharul Hoque, general manager (sales) of Jennys Footwear Limited told the FE Friday.
He also said they are now exporting to Japan's leading footwear retailer - ABC- Mart Incorporate which have some 1200 retail outlets in Japan.
"We are expecting to supply nearly 150,000 pairs of shoes to the ABC-Mart Incorporate within March this year," Hoque added.
However, local manufactures said they require government's policy support to make the sector more vibrant and diversify the country's exportable products.
They said the sector needs to import a variety of accessories and chemicals to manufacture shoes.
"We want easy access to the accessories and chemicals through government's policy support" Tipu Sultan added.
They also said policy support is also needed to import raw hide and skin.
Bangladesh currently produces around 200.20 million square feet leather while it exports finished leather, leathers goods including footwear worth $ 160 million.
The world's renowned shoe retailers are increasingly in favour of importing footwear from Bangladesh as they want to reduce their dependency on Chinese suppliers mainly due to the environmental issues.
China is the world's largest shoe exporting country accounting for around 62 per cent of the global demand. Vietnam 8.0 per cent, Italy 12 per cent and the rest of the world provide the remaining 18 per cent.
The elite shoes retailers are desperately want Bangladesh as their next destination following moderate facilities exists here with strong backward linkages.
Quoting officials of the branded companies, one senior executive told the FE: "They do not want to import from Sri Lanka following problems there and India for bureaucratic tangles".
Experts from Gucci of Italy, Nike of United Kingdom, Reebok of Germany, Timberland of the USA and the ABC-Mart Incorporate of Japan recently visited a number of local shoe factories and enquired about the existing infrastructures, shoe manufacturers said.
The world's leading branded retailers mainly want to import sports shoes, ladies shoes and dress shoes from local manufacturers.
A number of world's renowned shoe makers also want to produce shoes in joint venture in the country.
Chairman of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather Goods and Footwear Exporters Association (BFLLGFEA) Tipu Sultan told the FE that officials of the world's leading branded shoe companies have been visiting our shoe factories over the past few months.
He also said: "Some of the branded companies are now involved in sampling with the local companies".
Local companies started exporting shoes since 1980's.
He also said : "shoe is the most branded product. It takes time to mature. I think local companies will get good orders from the world's leading shoes retailers".
Currently, the world market for shoe and other leather products is more than US$ 100 billion a year and the sports shoe accounts for nearly $40 billion.
The officials of the branded companies visited all leading factories in Dhaka and outside the capital and held elaborate business discussion with the local shoe manufacturing management.
The factories those were visited by the foreign shoe makers include Apex Shoes, Jennys Footwear Limited, HNH footwear, and Bay Footwear.
Jennys Footwear Limited, a leading local shoe manufacturing company and having capacity around 4000 pairs each day, said America's leading shoe retailer Timberland had visited their factories and they expressed their satisfaction over the production process.
"Timberland officials were too pleased with us. We are hoping they might give good orders to our company," said Mazharul Hoque, general manager (sales) of Jennys Footwear Limited told the FE Friday.
He also said they are now exporting to Japan's leading footwear retailer - ABC- Mart Incorporate which have some 1200 retail outlets in Japan.
"We are expecting to supply nearly 150,000 pairs of shoes to the ABC-Mart Incorporate within March this year," Hoque added.
However, local manufactures said they require government's policy support to make the sector more vibrant and diversify the country's exportable products.
They said the sector needs to import a variety of accessories and chemicals to manufacture shoes.
"We want easy access to the accessories and chemicals through government's policy support" Tipu Sultan added.
They also said policy support is also needed to import raw hide and skin.
Bangladesh currently produces around 200.20 million square feet leather while it exports finished leather, leathers goods including footwear worth $ 160 million.