The footwear made in Timisoara by the Italian Geox Group has become famous lately after one of the most important people of the moment, Pope Benedict XVI was spotted wearing the shoes of the Italian manufacturer, known as the "breathing shoes."
The Italian company offered the Pope''s spokesman Joacquin Navarro-Valls several pairs of Geox Uomo Light loafers, fitted with a system against foot perspiration, as a present for Benedict XVI, the Wall Street Journal reports. According to the quoted source, Navarro-Valls is a close friend of the Geox founder, Mario Moretti Polegato, and member of the ethics committee of the company.
When the Pope wore the shoes, Geox chose not to promote the event through advertisements or press materials. But the company was delighted when word got out. "If the pope uses our product that means it works. He''s out in public under the sun for hours in a heavy tunic, so he risks becoming sweaty. What better testimony could you ask for?" says Geox spokesman Eros Scattolin.
Contacted by ZIARUL FINANCIAR, Scattolin stated the shoes given to the Pontiff had been made at the factory Geox has in Timisoara.
"The shoes for the Pope are no different than those sold through the company''s stores and are manufactured in line with the company''s trademark system whereby the sole is made of pores that allow the foot to breathe," stated Codruta Dobrescu, the official in charge of press relations of Technic Development, the Timisoara branch of Geox.
She added there were also other prominent figures in Romania wearing Geox footwear, such as the Italian Ambassador to Romania and the National Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu.
The Italian manufacturer opened the production facility in Romania in 2001 and the initial investment amounted to 15 million dollars (12 million euros). Investments in the facility in Timisoara have continued since then and currently stand at 35 million dollars (28 million euros). Almost the entire output, 6.5 million pairs of shoes a year, is exported, with the main destination being the parent company in Italy. Only a small part of it finds its way onto the Romanian market through the company''s own stores opened in Bucharest and Timisoara. "The breathing shoes", named after the fact that the sole consists of series of pores that allow the vapours produced by the warmth of the feet to get out but do not allow water to get in, cost 50 to 100 euros on average.
The Italian company concluded last year with net sales of 455 million euros and an EBITDA of 121 million euros. The latest data about the branch in Romania indicate that it posted 16 million euro turnover in 2004.
WSJ also says that the international brands are insistently seeking image gain around Pope Benedict the XVIth, who is one of the most prominent figures in the world. This is the case of leather sofa manufacturer Natuzzi, which has a factory in Romania in Baia Mare and created the internal upholstery for a golf cart General Electric Motorcars offered to the Pope last year.
Pentru alte știri, analize, articole și informații din business în timp real urmărește Ziarul Financiar pe WhatsApp Channels
