Albanians are buying less clothes. The latest INSTAT data shows that imports of clothing and footwear for 2023 have suffered the biggest drop since the pandemic, a year in which purchases decreased due to the shutdown.
During the last year, 75.6 thousand tons of clothing were imported, a decrease of 3.5%. however, shoes were the ones that suffered a drop of over 19%.
Among the main reasons is the departure of young people. Another reason is the increase in food prices, forcing people to make the most necessary choices to live. Shoes were the ones that were left in the shadows and were not considered important to have. This trend has actually affected other countries of the world, bringing a reduction in orders to factories, which has caused many of them to go bankrupt.
Since the last 3 months of last year, hundreds of workshops with up to 130 employees have started to close in Albania, as a result of the drop in demand from partner countries.
The decline in clothing imports was also reflected in the value. In 2023, 94 billion ALL of clothing and shoes were imported with an annual decrease of -7.4%.
