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Article: Rio brands. (Brazilian footwear)(includes related article)
- Article from:
- Footwear News
- Article date:
- February 2, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Conde Nast Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE BRAZILIAN ECONOMY IS FORCING THE FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY TO ENHANCE THE QUALITY OF ITS PRODUCTS AND MOVE THEM INTO A HIGHER-PRICED MARKET.
Bazilian shoe exports are adopting a larger profile. Thanks to an overpriced currency and higher-quality products, Brazilian footwear has stabilized at a higher price bracket and continues to be strong in the United States -- where it occupies a profitable niche position between Asian and European exports.
The real, the country's dollar-pegged currency, is still 15 percent to 20 percent overvalued in relation to the U.S. dollar. (In 1994, the real was introduced as the linchpin of the government's economic stabilization ...