A sign of recovery from Mido 2004
The 34th edition of Mido was presented this morning at a press conference which saw the participation of Adolfo Urso, Deputy Minister for Production Activities with responsibility for Foreign Trade, the President of Fiera Milano, Michele Perini and, making a surprise visit, the Minster for Health, Girolamo Sirchia.
Cirillo Coffen Marcolin, President of Anfao and Mido, presented the 2004 edition with its increased exhibition area and number of exhibitors (130,000 square meters hosting 1,203 companies, 382 of which are Italian and 821 are from abroad), and announced the first day's attendance figures.
'Mido has given the market its first positive response: participation by exhibitors and by visitors has increased; yesterday was the opening day and we recorded 11,334 visitors compared to 7,467 in 2003, a 51.8% increase and, compared to the 9,769 in 2002, an upturn of 16%. The response by the main international buyers present at the fair is also a confirmation of this trend.'
'The presence of such a large and diversified number of exhibiting companies makes the exhibition particularly highly-rated by the trade because it can offer 'an all-new and highly representative selection' of the coming collections: we have estimated about 350,000 new models, with 2,000 trademarks represented, which include designer names and house-brands'.
'Mido has given the market the first positive indicator: rising attendance figures, and the participation of leading international buyers has been confirmed. These two factors seem to offer good business prospects, a business that is all about placing orders for the collections on display. In fact, many companies, especially the smaller one, make most of their business during Mido".
One of the leading international agencies, At. Kearney, indicated the industries that still have good growth margins (electrical appliances, food products and petroleum) and also underlined the key role of the international eyewear industry, as the only sector in the fashion system that holds considerable interest in 2004. We hope that this interest will be a driving force for the quick recovery of our industry worldwide, where Italy is the No. 1 exporter of medium-high and luxury products".
'In 2003, all Italian export sectors were negatively impacted. The worst hit were luxury goods, such as jewelry which posted a 20% fall in exports, while clothing, footwear and leather goods fell to a lesser extent (an average -7%). By contrast, eyewear exports fell even less, at -4%. Italian industry closed 2003 with a production figure of €1,870 million, 0.6% more than the previous year. The difficulties faced by the industry in 2003 led to an overall 4% fall in exports, settling at €1,506 million. This was largely the result of a slowdown in consumption, and accentuated by a Euro/US$ exchange rate that was one of the worst of recent years as well as competition from Asia which is becoming tougher. Our industry was heavily impacted, most companies were unable to overcome this crisis and were forced to close down".
"The most heavily impacted were sunglasses, the driving force of Italian exports, which fell by 7.2% versus 2002. Exports of frames performed well, rising by 0.9% and reaching € 611 million".
"If the leading export markets are examined, good results were posted in Europe where the overall 3.3% increase, at €737 million, derive from a greater demand for frames (+2.9%) and sunglasses (+3.6%). The best results posted in Europe were in Spain (+18.9%) and the United Kingdom (+6.6%)".
"Strongly penalized by the US dollar and the Chinese currency which is tied to the dollar, exports to the United States, one of Italy's leading markets, fell by -12.3%, and to Asia by 5.5%. In particular, the negative trend in the United States (-19%) can be attributed to the sharp fall in consumption but also to the weakness of the US$ versus the very strong Euro in 2003".
"The forecasts for 2004 appear to indicate an improvement, or at least the recovery of some fundamental markets such as the United States, and new prospects in China, Japan and Eastern Europe. First-quarter 2004 forecasts indicate a growth of some percentage points, reflecting the same trend in all the Made in Italy sectors, where exports, bases on the latest Istat figures, are increasing towards all leading export markets, with a good performance in some European countries".
Deputy Minister Urso also confirmed the positive trend of Italian exports during the first quarter of 2004, and mentioned the many initiatives that have been implemented by his Ministry to promote made in Italy products.Urso also underscored that the eyewear sector represents an example of creativity and innovation.
