A female entrepreneur and owner of EFA Solutions footwear factory in Albania has received valuable assistance in combating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business operations.
CEO Etleva Laro set up the business 18 months ago and works with her sister Irena to procedure and produce locally-made high-quality footwear. She then crossed paths with the EBRD and its Women in Business programme.
Through the programme, she benefited from the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (SIDA), the Italian Ministry of Finance, and the European Commission’s Directorate for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations.
Laro said: “ I was passionate about the opportunity to build my own company, to employ and improve hundreds of people’s lives and to bring progress and innovation to the shoe industry, which in my country follows a bit of an ‘old school’ model.”
The Albanian footwear manufacturing industry accounts for up to 42% of the country’s exports and employs some 70,000 people. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the industry took a hit, as did its export to Italy, one of the main recipients of Albanian-made products.
Etleva was given access to a local consultant who she was able to work with on improving business operations and developing best practices in management. They worked to create internal guidelines in HR, warehouse management, and production processes.
Now, some 900 employees are covered by proper health and safety standards and the company has enjoyed a larger client base including German clients. Annual turnover increased by 31%.
Sadly, COVID-19 put some plans on hold but it didn’t stop the influx of orders from the German market.
“We took all measures prescribed by the government and health institutions,” explains Etleva. “Our people come first: this is an absolute imperative. We reshaped the production line to ensure 2m distance between each worker, everyone uses Personal Protective Equipment and, most importantly, we have maintained close communication with our staff, including through a weekly newsletter and a daily morning message to keep up morale.”
They also started to produce protective medical clothing to provide a short term solution for a drop in orders. It also served to diversify the business both in the medium and long term. They recently received an order from a German client to create 1 million medical gowns in a month.
Etleva also announced that during August, she started production for a new British client “one of the biggest shoe companies in the world.”
