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Article: LOS NINOS LAND; A SMALL SPANISH TOWN MAKES A NAME FOR ITSELF IN THE CHILDREN'S SHOE MARKET.(Villena, Spain)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
- Article from:
- Footwear News
- Article date:
- March 12, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 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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An hour's drive northwest of Alicante, Spain, lies a small town named Villena, that for several decades has been known as the heart of the Spanish children's shoe industry. About 200 manufacturers and 3,000 employees work in the town's footwear industry, which, along with wine, has become one of Villena's main exports, according to Joaquin Marco, secretary general of the Villena-based FICE (Spain's footwear manufacturer federation).
"The children's sector began to develop in the late 19th century, and today the town has fourth-generation shoemakers," Marco said. "Villena has tradition and a lot of experience in the children's world. And its production is very ...