Footwear
Yue Yen signals steep first-quarter profit drop of up to 55%
The Hong Kong-based footwear manufacturer expects its first-quarter profit attributable to owners to fall 50-55% amid market headwinds, including fluctuating demand and reciprocal tariffs
Japan Retail: fashion falls out of step with the market
Although inflation is cooling and the macroeconomic situation in Japan is stabilising, consumer confidence remains fragile. Against this backdrop, the fashion industry appears to have fallen out of step, with clothing and footwear prices remaining high while demand continues to weaken. This is evident in the continued decline in apparel and textile sales, contrasting with the resilience of the broader retail sector. At the same time, the weak yen is inflating import costs, forcing footwear companies to pay more without achieving significant increases in sales volume
Stella International posts modest first-quarter growth as it ramps up capacity
The Hong Kong-based group highlighted that it is ramping up capacity in Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam as part of its 2026 ‘investment year’, while reporting modest growth in the first quarter
TOWORKFOR launches reusable CleanStep overshoe
The Portuguese safety footwear brand has launched CleanStep, a reusable overshoe that enables users to move between environments without leaving marks or dirt on floors
Allbirds pivots from footwear to AI infrastructure
The sneaker brand is still selling its intellectual property and footwear assets to the American Exchange Group, but it will be shifting its focus to AI compute infrastructure in its new life
Early Easter boosts UK retail sales but clothing and footwear lag
The early Easter resulted in stronger-than-expected growth in UK retail sales in March. However, this masked the ongoing weakness of discretionary categories, particularly clothing and footwear
US Retail: footwear under pressure as retail holds
Although overall sales remained stable in 2025, performance within the fashion sector was mixed, with clothing outperforming the far more volatile footwear segment. At the same time, weakening consumer sentiment persisted despite easing monetary policy, signalling growing uncertainty. This is particularly evident in footwear imports, which reversed sharply after a strong start to the year and declined alongside retail sales, even as import prices continued to rise. The combination of falling volumes and higher costs points to a sector increasingly squeezed by soft demand and ongoing supply-side issues
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Laura O’Brien: the Atlanta Shoe Market facilitates real business
In today’s interview, we spoke to Laura O’Brien, who has been the Executive Director of the Atlanta Shoe Market trade fair for over forty years. We talked about the event’s history, role in the US footwear industry and its relevance to international players looking to enter the US market
Dr. Martens restructures leadership to accelerate consumer-first strategy
As part of a restructuring aimed at simplifying the operating model in line with the new consumer-first strategy, the UK-based footwear company has appointed General Managers for all its major markets
China remains top US footwear supplier but market share hits 35-year low
China remained the largest supplier of footwear to the US in 2025, despite its market share falling to 35-year lows in both value and volume, according to the FDRA
Christian Decker leaves DESMA
The managing director of the Germany-based footwear machinery manufacturer has left the company after 28 years, 17 of which were spent in this leadership role
MATA unveils AW26 collection, introducing women’s line for the first time
The Portuguese company unveiled its Autumn/Winter 2026 collection at the last MICAM. Focusing on waterproof performance, the collection marks the company’s entry into the women’s segment
Debate grows over Germany’s textiles EPR scheme
The HDS/L warns that folding footwear into a textiles framework overlooks the greater material complexity of shoes and could weaken competitiveness through higher compliance burdens and uncertainty
EU-Mercosur trade deal set for provisional application from May 1
The EU-Mercosur interim trade agreement is set to be provisionally applied from the 1st of May, despite objections from certain member states and requests for clarification from the European Parliament. We have asked industry representatives from both sides of the Atlantic to comment-
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