Inflation
UK Retail: signs of a slowdown are emerging
After a promising start to the year, the UK retail sector is now showing signs of slowing down. Textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) sales, which had recorded consistent year-on-year growth in the first months of 2025, have now begun to decline, reflecting a general downturn in retail performance. Online sales have been highly volatile, with TCF categories being particularly sensitive to changes in consumer sentiment. Meanwhile, rising inflation and weakening consumer confidence are putting downward pressure on spending, and the decline in sales suggests that imports may follow this trend
Germany Retail: cautious forecasts reign amid uncertainty
Although the retail sector has shown modest year-on-year growth overall, the footwear segment continues to struggle. Meanwhile, online sales have recorded double-digit increases since September 2024. The truth is that despite signs of easing inflation and seasonal discount campaigns, both retailers and consumers remain cautious amid geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. The rebound seen earlier in the year has given way to cautious forecasts, particularly in light of the sharp downturn in footwear imports and the potential ramifications of shifting trade policies
Spain Retail: the fashion sector is now under pressure
Unlike our previous forecast, the Spanish fashion sector is currently under pressure, with its turnover down by 2.56% year-on-year in the first half of the year. The footwear sector, in particular, is showing worrying signs, with low prices and cautious consumer behaviour. This has left retailers with high inventory levels and high hopes for summer discounts. However, only time will tell if the slowdown of the Spanish economy due to mounting global geopolitical and financial uncertainty will affect their prospects
France Retail: something doesn’t add up in the footwear market
There is something amiss in the footwear retail sector in France. Since April, footwear sales have increased and prices have remained stable, supported by one of the lowest inflation rates in the Eurozone. Nevertheless, concerns have been raised about the sluggish state of the economy, with both consumer and retail confidence not only negative, but also on a downward trend. This suggests that footwear imports will most likely continue to decrease, as they did in April. Only time will tell what will happen next
Japan Retail: renewed optimism for footwear demand?
Japan’s retail landscape is transforming, driven by the strong performance of the online channel. Despite overall inflationary pressure, retail sales as a whole and footwear imports are on an upward trend, boosted by a weaker US dollar against the yen. With footwear prices finally showing signs of recovery, there is cautious optimism for renewed demand in the short term, even as rising interest rates weigh on consumer confidence
US Retail: bleak prospects amid growing uncertainty
The footwear retail sector is definitely underperforming, especially compared with clothing and accessories. The current trade war between the US and its trading partners is not helping consumers recover from last year’s inflationary crisis. Consumer confidence has fallen by almost 30% in the first four months of the year as people believe that shoe prices may rise significantly again. Against this backdrop, importers are at a standstill, trying to guess the best course of action. Uncertainty is the word that best describes the current situation in the sector
UK Retail: the sector appears to be holding its own
The UK retail sector appears to be holding its own despite fears of increased costs as a result of the new Employment Rights Bill. In particular, retail sales of Textile, Clothing and Footwear (TCF) have risen back-to-back in the first quarter of the year, and the improvement in footwear inflation from negative to neutral in March may suggest a boost to demand. Although consumers aren’t exactly optimistic about the future, especially with new rising bills and the ongoing US trade war, retailers still have reasons to restock
Germany Retail: hope rests on the ability of retailers to weather gloomy circumstances
In a landscape where e-commerce is in a league of its own, footwear retailers continue to struggle to regain sales growth, even against the backdrop of overall retail performance. And low inflation in the sector is actually indicative of low demand, not consumer confidence. Indeed, the data shows that consumers remain far more pessimistic than retailers, and a renewed rise in the propensity to save is clouding the overall picture. Given the volatile global trading environment, hope rests on the ability of retailers to weather these gloomy conditions
Spain Retail: a case for optimism
Despite a decline in fashion sales in January, February bucked the trend, and the data points to a stable performance for the sector in 2025, with online taking the lead. Although the deflation in the apparel and footwear sectors is not good news, retailers in general remain optimistic about the future - as shown by the import data - supported by the economic growth the country has experienced and is expected to continue to experience
Retail Flash: insights from key footwear markets
Explore the main retail trends in France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, the UK, the US and Spain from our Retail Flash reports, highlighting volatility in 2024 and mixed consumer and retailer sentiment. In particular, new tariffs on key trading partners could put pressure on US footwear prices, Germany’s online sector continues to expand and Japan faces rising inflation
US footwear prices rise amid economic uncertainty
Tariffs and inflation continue to shape US footwear pricing, as October data revealed mixed trends, with increased men's and children's footwear prices, while prices for women's shoes declined
UK Retail: good signs for the run-up to Christmas
The cold weather in July did not bring good news for the UK retail sector, but the following two months spiced things up again. Fashion retail sales appear to be back on track with the wider economy, as continued falling inflation has led to lower prices. Consumers are still reluctant to spend given the difficulties of recent years, but the challenge for retailers is now to keep up and not fall behind again in order to boost demand in the months leading to Christmas
A favourable September for UK retail
As inflation fell to its lowest level in three and a half years, UK retail sales rose by 3.6% year-on-year in value terms in September, according to the latest ONS figures
Deflationary trend helps revitalise UK fashion retail
The UK fashion retail sector benefited from a deflationary trend in July, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), giving consumers a temporary respite from recent difficult months
World Footwear Voices: interview with Steve Lamar from AAFA
Today we bring you a conversation with Steve Lamar, President and CEO at American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA). Watch the new episode of the World Footwear Voices- 1
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