Imports of shoes grow by 25 percent in 2006, production stays the same

The Czech Footwear Association says imports of shoes grew by 25 percent year-on-year in 2006. The amount of shoes imported last year reached 97 million pairs worth 8.5 billion crowns (390 million USD), with China taking the largest share. For several years, domestic producers have blamed cheap imports from Asia for their bad economic situation. Czech production stayed at 5 million pairs, the same as in 2005.