If everything goes according to plan, the Italian company East West will open a new footwear production facility in Sremska Mitrovica in autumn that will employ around 600 workers.
The representatives of East West, which clients include Gucci, Prada and other world-renowned brands, have already made an agreement with the branch of the National Employment Office in Serbia to start testing the prospective workers and subsequently train them in sewing, tailoring and cutting of footwear parts.
The first round of training has already started and everybody is welcome to join, regardless of work experience. For years, the Serbian footwear industry has been trying to regain the reputation and success it had had in the 1980s when the country was one of the biggest footwear exporters in Europe. Today, there are close to 300 footwear companies operating in Serbia, with close to 10,000 employees who are making footwear for the world renowned brands.
In 2015, Serbia exported 300 million USD worth of footwear, while also importing 400 million USD worth of footwear. Lack of raw hide and well-trained workforce remain the biggest problems of the Serbian footwear industry.
The proprietor of East West, Enrico Rossi has confirmed that his company would open a production facility in Sremska Mitrovica, in addition to the ones in Sombor, Vrsac and Vladimirci. His company is represented in Serbia by the Progetti Company which is a big exporter of upper parts and ready-to-wear footwear.
(eKapija, 25.01.2017)
This post is also available in: Italiano