On Nov 8, the Sichuan International Trade Shoe Center, long anticipated by Chengdu shoe enterprises, was successfully given its finishing touches.

Purchasers from domestic and foreign shoes industries met with Chengdu shoe enterprises in Wuhou district, the Chinese capital of ladies shoes, to witness the topping off ceremony of Sichuan International Trade Shoes Center, a project totaling 300 million yuan.

Expected to be officially completed in May next year, the center will become a window of export for Sichuan ladies shoes to sell globally, facilitating domestic and overseas shoes purchasers to buy directly from manufacturers in Chengdu.

To be complete within half a year -- exporting Chengdu ladies shoes no longer difficult

Beginning earlier this year, construction of the center will be finished within only half a year.

The bottleneck caused by the lack of export platform for Chengdu shoes enterprises is expected to completely dissolve by next year.

“The Wuhou outlet shoes center is the place for selling Chengdu ladies shoes in the domestic market, but a huge number of shoes export enterprises eagerly need a centralized place to display their products”, a manager from a shoe company in Wuhou district told the reporter.

Chengdu women shoes hold an important place in the international market. Most shoes are exported via foreign trade ports in Beijing, Guangzhou, Xinjiang and other cities. This mode leads to numerous middlemen having a share from profits of the manufactures as well as those of the international shoes purchasers. The completion of Sichuan International Trade Shoes Center will break this development bottleneck.

Representatives of Chengdu shoes enterprises and foreign shoes purchasers said that the opening of Sichuan International Trade Shoes Center will create opportunities for local shoes enterprises to contact directly with foreign purchasers, increase their profits and promote the healthy development of export-oriented shoes enterprises in Chengdu.

Purchasers eagerly await ladies shoes export platform

At the topping off ceremony, Mario Palazzo, president of Sichuan Yipin Fashion Trade Co Ltd, said “Chengdu is the capital of fashion and ladies shoes in China, our company has established long term trading partnerships with a number of shoes enterprises in Chengdu. Early opening of Sichuan International Trade Shoes Center will construct an export platform for the local enterprises so that we can purchase more beautiful and faddish ladies shoes in Chengdu”.

He also said that the construction proceeded at a pace far beyond his expectation and hoped it could be put into use as soon as possible.

An official in charge of the project operation indicated that they were striving to complete the project and put it into use earlier while ensuring project quality.

Lanyi, director of the Industrial Operation Center of Wuhou New Area Management Committee, told the reporter that Sichuan International Trade Shoes Center is one of the key construction projects in Wuhou district.

He said the centre signals a new start for the Sichuan shoes industry to construct a trinity operation mode featuring building local bases, opening coastal platforms and establishing overseas terminals.

After completion, it will create favorable conditions for shoes enterprises in Chengdu to communicate directly with foreign purchasers and final distributors, bringing out new opportunities for export growth, successful industrial transformation and leap-forward development in Chengdu shoes industry.

Improving supporting industries to offer four platforms and eight functions

At present, shoes manufactured in Chengdu have been exported to major international shoes markets in Europe and America including the US, Italy and Britain.

Although still under construction, Sichuan International Trade Shoes Center has been visited by a number of world-renowned shoes enterprises and authoritative organizations such as Italian Industry and Commerce Federation; the Italian exhibition giant, Bolognia Exhibition Group; the US KIAGROUP; and Intertek company, one of the world’s largest companies engaging in consumer product testing, inspection and certification.

“The center will attract overseas purchasers to Chengdu to find OEM plants here, and local shoes enterprises with export demand can receive orders directly instead of through middlemen. By doing this, it will not only save time, expand market but also earn the 20% or so profits that was previously paid to the middlemen,” a principal of the project said.

The principal also said that, as the only export platform for shoes industry in southwest China, Sichuan International Trade Shoes Center has been putting effort into improving supporting industries for the development of the shoes industry.

The plan towards improvement includes offering four services platforms for providing export orders, foreign trade services, financial services and e-business. The supporting industries will perform eight functions, namely, undertaking export orders, foreign trade services, design development, brand promotion, financial settlement, financial service, e-business and talent training.