Portuguese shoe industry restructures MOCAP

From next January, the Portuguese Shoe Show (MOCAP) will have a new structure. The exhibition will be held at Europarque, in Santa Maria da Feira, for a two day period and will stay open until 8pm. On the 15th (Thursday) and 16th of January (Friday) 2004, MOCAP will present the best of what the Portuguese footwear industry has to offer. MOCAP will reinforce its 'four seasons fair' characterisitics by adding a prêt à porter edge for immediate response to the already traditional pre-selection nature of the fair; thus covering a wider scope of the sector. There will be several rsified changes to MOCAP, starting with the substantial increase in the number of exhibitors. With innovation always in mind, the 52nd edition of this exhibit will host some of the best Pportuguese footwear companies with top notch collections in the latest fashion tendencies. New spaces will be created within the exhibition, namely for young designers. As such, the Top Style area, concentrated on high range footwear companies, will be enlarged. The aim of the organisers, APICCAPS and ICEP - Portuguese Trade and Tourism Office, is based essentially on broadening the offer for the hundreds of international buyers that visit the exhibit each edition. Portugal is, according to UNO data, the third largest exporter in Europe and seventh worldwide, producing 101 million pairs annually. Portugal registers 1,350 companies, employing 53,500 workers (an average of 39.6 workers per company), and exports 90% of its production. The footwear industry achieved a 6% growth in the third quarter of 2003. This is despite the fact that the number of companies reducing output exceeds those who are increasing production. Industry output fell by 4% in the first half of the year, compared with 2002.