It has long been seen as a province that opens up more to the outside world and it ranks among the regions with the highest export activity in the country. Yet the truth is that Alicante’s foreign sector is dominated by a few large players, with many small firms that struggle to scale and reach greater size.
Last year, total shipments from the province to foreign markets surpassed 7 billion euros. More than half, precisely 52.4 percent, were handled by just one hundred firms. The pandemic and its disruption to global trade have intensified this pattern, with the share held by these 100 largest companies rising from 49.9 percent in 2019 to the present level.
These dynamics align with data from the Icex Spanish Exporters Profile, which confirms the small scale of most Alicante exporters. Nationally, the average exporter invoices around 2,053,000 euros in international shipments; Alicante’s average barely surpasses 706,000 euros, underscoring the concentration of export activity among a limited number of firms.
“It’s a cultural issue—an intensely fragmented business landscape. There is little culture of cooperation or unity. When two brothers take over a family business, they often split the company instead of pursuing growth,” notes Pablo Gómez, CEO of Oftex, a consultancy focused on internationalization. He stresses that company size is frequently a key driver of competitiveness.
Only 1.8% of all Spain’s export sales come from Alicante
Despite important export sectors such as footwear and agrifood, Alicante accounted for only 1.8% of Spain’s total exports last year, lagging behind its 3% share in the early 2000s. The province slipped from ninth place in 2001 to 18th in recent years, a position it has held for the last two years, according to Icex data.
In total, the number of exporters registered with ICEX reached 10,006. It’s important to note this broader figure includes anyone moving goods through customs. The more meaningful metric is the group of regular exporters—those who maintain a consistent presence in foreign markets for at least four consecutive years.
Encouragingly, last year Alicante saw a rebound in the number of regular exporters after declines caused by the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, rising by 2.6% to 2,622, still short of the 2,735 seen in 2019 but showing resilience compared with the previous year.
Looking at the broader picture, even as regular exporters shrank, total export volumes rose. Those firms that held firm in the market expanded their share, contributing to higher concentration in foreign trade activity.
Alice’s export mix is varied. The province hosts thousands of shoe exporters and a similar number of firms involved in machinery and mechanical devices, though not all are manufacturers in those sectors. There are also over 800 firms in the plastics sector and around half a thousand in the food industry, illustrating the region’s diverse export portfolio.
Recovery of the footwear industry fuels exports to record levels at 7.068 million
Looking ahead to 2023, Pablo Gómez expects another year of growth for the foreign sector, supported by improving conditions. He notes that tensions from the Ukraine conflict have eased, supply chains are stabilizing, and transportation costs are easing, all signaling a supportive environment. While he does not foresee a sudden crash, consumer demand remains a key area of uncertainty.
New paths to the Russian market
Sanctions on Russia have hit many Alicante exporters with important activity in that market. Data from Icex show the number of exporters dealing with Russia halved, from 296 to 149. This has pushed some companies to route shipments through neighboring markets such as Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan to sidestep restrictions from Brussels. Early challenges included delays of up to 60 days for collections, but procedures have since sped up and funds now arrive in about 15 days.