1 Analyse strengths and weaknesses of the Italian shoe district logistics model. The National Association of Italian Footwear Manufacturers (ANCI –

www.anci-calzature.com) explains:

The success of the footwear sector in Italy is linked to an enterprising spirit and to the structure of the sector. The structure is a ‘web’ of raw material suppliers, tanneries, components, accessories, machinery manufacturers, model makers and designers. This has resulted in a territorial concentration of firms and the formation of shoe manufacturing districts such as Marche, Tuscany, Venetia and Lombardy. The leading position of the Italian shoe industry is due to superior product quality and high levels of innovation.

The Marche shoe district is the largest concentration of producers of shoes and accessories in Europe. There are more than 3,000 shoe firms, almost 500 shoe components firms and more than 100 leather firms employing almost 50,000 workers, with combined sales of over €3bn. The district is export-oriented, with more than 75 per cent of production going abroad – mainly to Germany, the USA, Russia and increasingly to Asia, including China.