World Footwear

News

2025 I.S.P.O. World Congress draws 3 200 participants

Jul 16, 2025 / Sweden
The 20th edition of the I.S.P.O. World Congress, which focused on how collaboration and innovation can promote sustainable rehabilitation, attracted 3 200 participants from more than 100 countries

Converse set to welcome new President and CEO

Jul 16, 2025 / United States
Jared Carver, the current CEO and President of the Converse brand, is expected to step down. Nike veteran Aaron Cain is allegedly set to take on the leadership role

Stability is the word for employment levels in the footwear sector

In the latest edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey, nearly half of our panel members responded that they believe the level of employment will stabilise in the next few months. Get free access to the report with the main conclusions

Trump intensifies trade tensions with the EU and Mexico

Jul 15, 2025 / United States
Tensions are rising over trade after US President Donald Trump sent letters to the European Union (EU) and Mexico threatening to impose a 30% tariff on their goods from the 1st of August

Upcoming Latin American Footwear Forum to foster regional dialogue

Jul 15, 2025 / Latin America
The 2025 edition of the Latin American Footwear Forum will take place from the 13th to the 15th of August in the city of León, Guanajuato. The aim is to foster industry development and regional dialogue

Dr. Martens kicks off the year in line with expectations

Jul 14, 2025 / United Kingdom
In its latest trading update, the UK-based footwear company reiterated its guidance for the full year 2026, with performance from the start of the year remaining in line with expectations

Miguel Vieira in the spotlight in Milan

Jul 14, 2025 / Portugal
In an effort to reach a broader audience, the Portuguese fashion designer returned to the Milan Fashion Week runway to present his Spring/Summer 2026 collection

Gerry Weber closes all its stores, sells trademark rights

Jul 11, 2025 / Germany
The German fashion retailer is closing all its stores in Germany and Europe while selling its trademark rights to Spanish retailer Victrix. This follows its third insolvency in a few years

Trump’s 50% tariff threat to Brazil raises alarm in footwear industry

Jul 11, 2025 / United States
Donald Trump has threatened Brazil with a 50% tariff starting on the 1st of August over charges against its former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro. The Brazilian footwear industry has already voiced its concern

Leder & Schuh reports moderate growth in 2024

Jul 10, 2025 / Austria
The Austrian footwear retailer reported a moderate year-on-year sales growth of 1.1% in 2024. This was driven by store expansion, a new private label launch, and product range optimisation

Optimistic outlook for the footwear industry’s business health

More than 55% of the respondents of the last edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey are confident about the health of their businesses. The 12th edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey results are now available

US President postpones reciprocal tariffs but announces new country-specific rates

Jul 9, 2025 / United States
Donald Trump has officially delayed imposing higher tariffs on US imports until the 1st of August, and has sent letters to 14 countries detailing the levies they face, including Japan and Korea

Amazon reaches robot milestone, debuts new generative AI model

Jul 9, 2025 / United States
The US-based e-commerce giant has announced that it has deployed its one millionth robot and that its entire fleet will be powered by a newly launched generative AI model

Eva Haak from AMI: Polymers in Footwear 2025 spotlights innovation and networking

We spoke to Eva Haak, Conference Production Manager at AMI’s Polymers in Footwear Conference. We learned more about this year’s event, which will happen in Portland on July 16th and 17th

Reverse engineering: opportunities and challenges for more digitised footwear businesses

Jul 8, 2025 / World Footwear Reports
JUST RELEASED! The latest World Footwear Innovation Paper highlights the opportunities and major challenges of using reverse engineering processes in the context of the digital and green transition currently being undertaken by the footwear industry

Portuguese brand Caina debuts with a line of timeless bags

Jul 7, 2025 / Portugal
This new Portuguese handbag brand aims to promote women’s empowerment by combining practicality with elegance and timelessness. It was launched on the 30th of May

The US and Vietnam reach an agreement on tariffs

Jul 7, 2025 / United States
US President Donald Trump announced that the US would impose lower-than-expected tariffs of 20% on many Vietnamese exports, and 40% on transshipments through Vietnam from third countries

Primark plans significant workforce cuts

Jul 4, 2025 / United Kingdom
The international retailer plans to reduce staff in key support functions, impacting about 7% of Dublin HQ jobs, as it restructures to maintain competitive pricing and invest in overseas markets

Italian footwear, leather goods and tannery machinery sector ends 2024 in the red

Jul 3, 2025 / Italy
Preliminary figures from Assomac indicate that the sector recorded a year-on-year drop in turnover of 12% in 2024, with an estimated closure of around 575 million euros

Nike reports fourth-quarter and full year results

Jul 2, 2025 / United States
The US-based sportswear company saw declines in revenue for both the quarter and full year, but remains hopeful, repositioning through a sport-focused strategy to renew consumer connection