Currently, prices continue to grow but at a lower rate. During the first six months of 2000, average prices on shoes grew by 27 percent, including 39 percent for men's shoes and 50 percent for women's shoes. In St. Petersburg, average retail prices are slightly lower than the national average. The footwear market in St. Petersburg is led by Italian suppliers, with 45-50 percent of the total market. Considerable market share also belongs to Germany, Belarus, Finland, Turkey, China, and domestic production.
Chinese manufacturers have the lead in imitation leather footwear.
U.S. companies supply primarily athletic and casual wear shoes. Brand names of U.S. dress shoes are almost entirely absent from the market. We also invite you to send us your product catalogs, so that we may better understand your product and which we can share with local firms and multipliers.