Traditional industrial districts in the face of globalization: the case of the Marche footwear district

This paper studies the case of the Marche footwear districts. Statistical evidence and interviews with entrepreneurs suggest that the traditional inter-firm relationships within these districts have significantly changed during the past decade. Some leading firms have been building up more exclusive relations with their suppliers, including those abroad, along �buyer-driven� value chains. Moreover, firms have been adopting different strategies, following two main paths: the first is a �focusing-on-quality� strategy, based on upgrading the quality of the goods and investing in brands, R&D and specific distribution channels; the second is a �focusing-on-costs� strategy, which aims at minimizing the production costs of a medium-quality range of goods, including outsourcing abroad. This study shows that firms which focused on quality did better than others, both in the years before the crisis of 2008-09 and during the recession.