French leather industry exports reached €7.42 billion in the first 5 months of 2026 between January and May 2026, down 3.7% compared with the same period last year, according to data from the Economic Observatory of Alliance France Cuir.
The latest figures cover 5 main categories of the French leather industry including raw hides and skins, leather, footwear, leather goods and leather gloves.
Raw hides and skins exports declined 15% to €73.4 million during the first 5 months of 2026 compared with €86.7 million in the same period last year.
When we look at the leather exports it increased 9% to €103.2 million, up from €94.6 million in January-May 2025.
French footwear exports reached €2.12 billion during the period, down 2% from €2.17 billion a year earlier.
When it comes to Leather goods it remained the industry’s largest export category, with exports declining 5% to €5.11 billion from €5.36 billion in January-May 2025.
Leather glove exports also increased 7% to €12.79 million, compared with €11.95 million during the same period last year.
On the import side, French leather industry imported leather and leather-related products worth €5.13 billion between January and May 2026, down 5.9% from €5.45 billion in the same period last year.
May 2026 Exports
In May 2026 alone, France exported approximately €1.29 billion worth of leather and leather-related products. Leather goods accounted for around €861.2 million, followed by footwear at €391.4 million, leather at €19.4 million, raw hides and skins at €13.7 million and leather gloves at €3.26 million.
The latest figures show mixed performance across France’s leather industry, with leather and leather gloves recording export growth while raw hides and skins, footwear and leather goods declined.
Disclaimer: May 2026 export figures were calculated by Leather News by subtracting January-April 2026 figures from January-May 2026 figures reported by the Economic Observatory of Alliance France Cuir. The May figures are therefore calculated values and not separately reported figures.
