On Tuesday November 28, the Conseil National du Cuir (CNC) unveiled figures for the French Leather Industry for the first eight or nine months of 2023, highlighting growth in exports. The key figures for 2022, presented at the recent Salon du Made in France, already confirmed the sector’s robustness, consolidating France’s position as the world’s 4th largest leather exporter. The outlook for 2024 is divided between concern, against a backdrop of slowing global growth, and hope, with the transition to a circular economy.
On Tuesday November 28, Frank Boehly, Chairman of the Conseil National du Cuir, presented the industry’s 2023 economic report, drawn up by the Observatoire Économique de la filière cuir. The document offers a comprehensive overview of the industry’s challenges and performance, highlighting expert analysis, key figures and testimonials from company directors.
The French Leather Industry was confronted with an average annual inflation rate of 5%, resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and aggravated by the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Selling prices for leather goods rose by an average of 3.9% in France in the first three quarters of 2023, compared with an increase of 4.6% for fashion goods as a whole.
Economic and geopolitical uncertainty has prompted the French to adopt a cautious financial stance, resulting in a 6% drop in footwear sales volume in French footwear specialist chains over the first three quarters of the year.
Despite these challenges, the dynamism driven by the reputation of Made in France and luxury brands persists. In the first eight months of 2023, the Filière Française du Cuir recorded 11% growth in exports, all categories combined, estimated at 20 billion euros, an increase of over 2 billion euros compared to 2022. Leather goods and footwear were particularly buoyant, with increases of 10% and 15% respectively.
Key figures for 2022
At the Salon du Made in France, held from November 9 to 12, 2023 at the Parc des Expositions in Paris, the Conseil National du Cuir unveiled the industry’s key indicators for 2022. Between 2021 and 2022, export sales in all categories rose by 22% to 18 billion euros. These figures consolidate France’s position as the world’s 4th largest leather exporter.
In 2022, the Tannery and Leathergoods sector posted sales of 419 billion euros, divided between 55 companies and 1,700 employees. The Leather Goods sector recorded sales of 4.9 billion euros, with 900 companies and 37,000 employees. Handbags accounted for 69% of exports by the French leather goods industry, with 7 million leather handbags exported out of the 11.6 million produced.
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Read also>THE FRENCH LEATHER INDUSTRY UNVEILS ITS FOREIGN TRADE RESULTS IN 2022
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