Sjang van Hout appointed chairman of AEDT Footwear

Today Mr. Sjang van Hout has been officially appointed chairman of AEDT Footwear. He has a long-lasting experience in retailing and is active in various trade associations in The Netherlands.

AEDT Footwear is a special sub-group of AEDT dealing with EU policies and sectoral issues affecting European footwear retailers.

On the occasion of his appointment, Mr. van Hout said “now more than ever, it is of utmost importance to represent footwear retailers’ interests at EU level as the majority of the national laws having an impact on companies originate in Brussels. Footwear retailers play an important role in fostering Europe’s economy and competitiveness and it is therefore essential that they positively contribute to the policy-making process. This year the main priority of AEDT Footwear will be to avoid an extension of the current anti-dumping duties on leather footwear from China and Vietnam, a protectionist measure hitting the vast majority of EU companies, harming consumers and not solving the structural problems of some less competitive producers. Increase the level of predictability and legal certainty for traders is also urgently needed”

AEDT – European Association of Fashion Retailers – represents more than 400.000 large, medium and small-sized European retail enterprises specialised in fashion and footwear.