São Paulo – The BFSHOW footwear trade fair kicks off on Monday (19) in São Paulo, expecting to welcome 10,000 buyers, including 1,200 from abroad. Among the international attendees, importers from at least four Arab countries—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Libya—are expected, according to the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados), which is holding the event in partnership with NürnbergMesse Brasil.
Palath Veettil Muhammed Saheer will attend BFSHOW representing Jamjoom Fashion from the UAE. He told Abicalçados that he sees the fair as an opportunity to expand the range of Brazilian products in his more than 60 stores. “Currently, we import D 200,000 annually, with around 6% coming from Brazil. We want to increase the share of Brazilian footwear imported into our stores,” he says. According to Saheer, Brazilian products are well appreciated in the local market, especially for their unique design and quality.
Saheer is among the importers participating in the exhibition as invited guests, along with other representatives from the four Arab countries mentioned above. BFSHOW will host 175 foreign buyers this way, in an initiative organized by the fair’s management and Brazilian Footwear, an export program by Abicalçados and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).
Including domestic buyers, a total of 681 were invited to the fair. They were selected based on recommendations from the exhibitors. However, most BFSHOW visitors attend independently. “The majority of national retailers and importers come on their own, attracted by the largest selection of footwear in Latin America all in one place,” Letícia Sperb Masselli, relationship and business manager at Abicalçados, was quoted as saying in material released by the organization.
The fair, now in its fourth edition, will feature 353 Brazilian brands as exhibitors and is considered the largest in the Latin American footwear sector. This year, it has grown by 30% in space, reaching over 32,000 square meters at the Anhembi Convention Center, according to the organizers. BFSHOW runs until Wednesday (21).
Quick facts
4ª BFSHOW
May 19 to 21, 2025
AT Distrito Anhembi – Av. Olavo Fontoura, 1209, São Paulo, Brazil
More information and registration: www.bfshow.com.br
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
