Consumption
Japan retail: unlocking consumer confidence is key for retail
The volume of footwear imports closed 2022 about 10 percentage points below the 2015 baseline, suggesting that the impact of the imported inflation on prices has been clouding the real performance of retail sales in the category. Both the government and some companies have offered inflation allowances or anti-inflation subsidies, but given the saving Japanese mindset, it can be expected that any additional disposable income will not necessarily be used for discretionary shopping, such as clothing and footwear. To boost consumption, it is therefore needed to unlock consumer confidence, which improved only marginally In February, and appears now to be flattening
US Retail: slower growth for retail in the coming months
The available data suggests that footwear sales dipped in the last quarter of 2022. With inflation eating the wage growth and impacting the stability of the labour market, US consumers appear to have deemed footwear purchases as not essential. This situation is somewhat corroborated by the negative performances of several companies in the fashion category, such as Capri, Nordstrom and VF Corp, in the fourth quarter of the year. Their main concern relates to the excess inventory, which led to a highly promotional environment and caused imports to reduce. Accounting for the mixed feelings on the consumers’ side, it is safe to endorse cautious prospects for retail for these first months of 2023
Sustainable, please. But not more expensive!
Sustainability is on the agenda of most footwear brands. Given such importance, in the latest edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey we have asked our experts if consumers will be willing to pay more for sustainability
German online footwear sales declined by 16.6% in 2022
With consumer spending taking a hit due to the war in Ukraine, online sales fell by 8.8% in 2022, year-over-year. But the footwear sector was the most affected, says BEVH
Spain Retail: retailers and consumers have shown themselves resilient at the end of 2022
The Textile, Clothing, and Footwear (TCF) retail sales index has improved in the fourth quarter of last year and several companies in the category appear to be less fearful about 2023, especially after their positive annual results. Moreover, retailers’ and consumers’ confidence indicators are showing that despite some lingering pessimism due to the challenging macroeconomic environment, things won’t get necessarily worse in the short term.
France Retail: inflation will yet impact retail, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel
Figures by the Banque de France suggest that retailers may have felt some relief in December 2022, but the weight of inflation in these results must not be overlooked, with turnover growing quite faster than the production itself. Moreover, the impact of inflation on footwear might yet be to be felt. French consumers tend to purchase the category during sales, but retailers may not be able to make the big discounts that would make consumers shop in a context of still significant inflation due to the need of preserving margins. However, there are signs of light at the end of the tunnel, as retailers’ and consumers’ confidence indicators show that there is room, at least, for the ceasing of confidence deterioration in 2023.
Sneaker’s share to continue increasing
In the latest edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey, we asked our panel of experts how they expected sneakers’ share of international footwear trade to evolve by 2050
UK Retail: bad odds for retail should consumer confidence remain on the floor
The Textile, Clothing, and Footwear (TCF) by the ONS stood above the 2019 baseline in the last two months of 2022, no doubt sustained by Christmas sales. But forecasts for the coming months are not so positive. The strain on household budgets due to the cost-of-living crisis will prove to be a challenge for retailers as well because while ongoing inflation will make sales appear to be rising, volumes will decline. Consumer confidence may be key in this equation. Even if it slightly improved in December, it was the first time in the GfK’s consumer confidence survey in the nearly 50-year history that a run of nine successive months of -40 pp or worse occurred. Should this continue, the odds are not good for retail
UK retail sales slowdown in January
Following the Christmas boom, inflationary pressures caused total retail sales to rose by 4.2% in January, around half December’s pace and down from the 11.9% growth recorded a year earlier
2023 could bring a loss of 56 million pairs in Europe's consumption
In the latest edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey, we have asked our panel of experts about their perspectives regarding footwear consumption, in their domestic market and globally
US: footwear prices increases to continue decelerating
According to the FDRA, full year footwear prices were up by 4.6%, as compared to 2021. But a break for consumers might be on the way, with data suggesting a decline in the growth pace
Cost of merchandise and raw materials is the main concern of the industry
In the current edition of World Footwear Business Conditions Survey, problems associated with the cost of merchandise and raw materials account for more than 80% of responses relating to the main difficulties felt by the footwear industry
UK Boxing Day footfall declines by 15.3% over pre-pandemic levels
On a comparable basis to 2019, UK in-store footfall was down by 15.3% this past Boxing Day, mostly due to rail strikes, travel disruptions and the rising cost-of-living, says RetailNext
Employment in the sector not expected to grow in 2023
According to the perspectives of the most recent edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey, conducted in November, employment in the footwear industry should stabilize or decrease in the next few months
Footwear prices to increase 11%
Our panel of experts expects footwear prices to increase over the course of the next six months. This is one of the main conclusions of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey conducted in November. Read more about it today-
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