~$9.4bn
UK footwear imports 2024
~3%
India's share
dominant
China still pays MFN duty
China & Vietnam
up to 16.9%
Old UK duty on leather shoes
THE SHIFT
Indian leather has quality and heritage the market respects, but a 16% wall kept it uncompetitive against Vietnam. CETA removes it. Agra, Kanpur and Chennai clusters can now land finished footwear, bags and leather goods in the UK duty-free, exactly as British buyers rebalance away from a single-country China footprint.
What wins first
- Leather footwear and boots
- Finished leather and hides
- Handbags and small leather goods
- Leather apparel and gloves
YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS
- 1Re-quote UK footwear buyers on a duty-free landed cost
- 2Prepare Certificate of Origin and REACH/traceability documentation
- 3Lead with tannery certifications (LWG) and ethical audits
- 4Target buyers de-risking away from single-source China
- 5Offer UK-held stock for repeat lines
6109·T-shirts, knitted·12%→0%0306·Frozen shrimp·up to 20%→0%6403·Leather footwear·16%→0%8708·Auto components·up to 4.5%→0%0902·Tea·duty free→0%1006·Basmati rice·up to 46%→0%7113·Gold jewellery·2.5%→0%5701·Wool carpets·8%→0%1605·Prepared prawns·20%→0%8482·Ball bearings·8%→0%9503·Toys·4.7%→0%0901·Roasted coffee·7.5%→0%6109·T-shirts, knitted·12%→0%0306·Frozen shrimp·up to 20%→0%6403·Leather footwear·16%→0%8708·Auto components·up to 4.5%→0%0902·Tea·duty free→0%1006·Basmati rice·up to 46%→0%7113·Gold jewellery·2.5%→0%5701·Wool carpets·8%→0%1605·Prepared prawns·20%→0%8482·Ball bearings·8%→0%9503·Toys·4.7%→0%0901·Roasted coffee·7.5%→0%