Reinvent or Perish

Facts support this heady statement. More than 200 Indian and international exhibitors will be present here,including from countries like Thailand,Bangladesh and Pakistan. Forty out of these are expected to be from Italy. Some of them are coveted names: Giovanni Fabiani,Loriblu,Manas,Massimo Santini. The organisers of Expo Riva claim that it is the most selling shoe fair in the world. “Within a month of being opened out to trade bookings,it was sold out. Now,next year’s bookings are on; it is a very serious meeting point for leather companies,” says Simon. The organisers weren’t obviously just deriving a high from counting the numbers. But,a research team came to India months ago to explore the realities and price points of the shoe market in Punjab and other states where the largest local retailers are based.

Amol Dhillon,Vice President Strategy of Woodlands agrees that more competition will enhance the shoe buying experience for Indian customers. Woodlands is not an Indian-origin company,yet it does have a strong and well-established retail arm in India. Change of winds would affect its marketing strategies,too. “Constant and repeated re-strategising is a market reality in any case,” says Dhillon,who doesn’t sound anxious about the spate of new manufacturers that Expo Riva will wash up at our shores.

While this is the first time that Expo Riva is physically holding court in India,it is also a fact that every year,the Indian community of manufacturers and retailers participating in this trade fair abroad has been the largest contingent. A simple deduction indicates that Indian shoe traders have already been influencing global trends. Why then,must anything change back here? “Because 75 of the world’s top leather and shoe brands are still unavailable in India,” says Simon adding that they “will have to reinvent or perish.”