With imports stable and exports up 6%, the French leather industry has posted a trade surplus of 5 billion euros in 2023. Leather goods continue to be the industry’s main international driver, with growing success in Asia and China.
The French leather industry can be cited as a model for our foreign trade.
The economic observatory of Alliance France Cuir (formerly Conseil National du Cuir), which supports its 21 federations, has just unveiled new virtuous results for France’s balance of trade in 2023.
While our foreign trade still showed a deficit of almost 100 billion euros last year, the French leather industry can boast a trade surplus of just over 5 billion euros!
The proof is simple: while the French industry managed to stabilize its imports at around 14 billion euros, its exports rose by a further 6% to 19 billion euros.
While inflation had an impact on the value of these performances, they are also linked to a growing appetite abroad, particularly in China, for top-of-the-range French products.
Leather goods, the driving force behind exports
Although the industry’s companies operate in a diverse ecosystem, from upstream (tannery, shoe manufacturing, leather goods, glove-making) to downstream (distribution), French leather goods remain the industry’s export engine.
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Featured Photo: © Alliance France Cuir
