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US Retail: there’s still a great deal of uncertainty
There are still no solid signs of a recovery in the footwear retail sector. Despite mirroring last year’s trend, sales are consistently lower than in 2023, and footwear imports continue their downward trajectory. This may suggest that prices have not yet reached a level where consumers will bite. The truth is that the US economy has made great progress and inflation has eased considerably, but not enough to reassure consumers, who are still uncertain about what will happen next. And when that happens, discretionary items always pay the price
Footway Group moves e-commerce business to a new group
The Sweden-based Footway Group AB has transferred its e-commerce business to a new group of companies, as part of a strategic review that has been underway for the past four years
UK Retail: are the winds starting to blow in retailers’ favour?
Despite a slight upturn in sales of Textile, Clothing and Footwear in March, a number of factors, including an early Easter, poor weather and the high cost of living, soon led to a visible lack of demand. This will most likely lead to a decline in the number of footwear imports, breaking the growth trend seen in the first quarter of the year. On the bright side, inflation is at its lowest since November 2021 and the economy seems to be picking up, so there is room for some improvement in consumer sentiment. With the UK on the brink of a General Election and a series of sporting events promising to bring people onto the streets, are the winds starting to blow in retailers’ favour?
Scotch & Soda Northern Europe will not reopen
Following the declaration of bankruptcy on the 12th of June, the administrators have announced that the northern branch of Scotch & Soda will not be reopening
Yoox Net-a-Porter to exit China
The luxury fashion e-tailer Yoox Net-a-Porter (YNAP) is believed to be in the process of closing its China operations in order to focus investment and resources on its more profitable regions
Germany Retail: positive signs on the horizon, but it’s not yet time to pop the champagne
Good news keep coming, but no one is out of the woods yet. Footwear retail sales outperformed overall retail sales in January and February, although they remain lower than the same period last year. Consumer sentiment remains negative but is improving, driven by lower inflation rates and wage growth, and retailer sentiment, although more negative, is following the trend. With recent news of a better economic outlook for the year and a rise in the value of imports at the start of the year, there is a chance that consumers will pull retailers up. Let’s see how the coming months unfold
France Retail: the ball is in the consumers’ court to boost retail
The first quarter of the year brought some contradictory signs in France, but perhaps all is not lost, especially for footwear retailers. Prices in the category have been rising at a slower pace than general items, becoming more stable every month, which perhaps helps explain the (albeit residual) increase in footwear sales in March. Confidence indicators for both retailers and consumers remain in the red, but the small year-on-year increase in imports at the start of 2024 points to higher demand later in the year. With the European elections in June and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in August, as well as real wage growth, the ball is in consumers’ court to boost retail
JD.com partners up with Inditex
The Chinese e-commerce retailer has partnered with the fashion retailer to launch a Massimo Dutti flagship store on its marketplace, as part of Inditex’s efforts to meet the needs of China’s digital consumer base
Zalando Co-founder David Schneider steps down from his role as co-CEO
The German-based online retailer has announced that David Schneider will step down from his role as co-CEO to focus exclusively on managing strategic partnerships and brand relationships
The rise of the second-hand fashion market
The global second-hand fashion market is expected to reach 350 billion USD by 2028, according to ThredUP's latest resale report. Value-conscious consumers, a greater concern for the environment and a desire for uniqueness seem to be driving this “revolution”, with new generations leading the way
Zalando reports improved financial results
The German-based online fashion retailer has reported a 1.3% increase year-over-year in gross merchandise volume in the first quarter of the year and a 29.6-million-euro reduction in losses
Amazon announces first quarter results
A solid start to 2024 for the Seattle-based online giant. Amazon reported a 13% year-over-year increase in net sales in the first quarter, with all segments contributing to the result
Asos announces stock reduction ahead of target
The online retailer widened its losses in the first half of its fiscal year, but said its turnaround plan was progressing well, highlighting that it had reduced its stock levels ahead of target
Japan Retail: trade did not improve at the end of 2023, but a recovery is not out of the picture
As anticipated in the previous edition of the WF Retail Japan, trade (physical and online) did not improve at the end of 2023. What’s more, the country unexpectedly slipped into recession amid sluggish consumption and pressure on retail costs due to the weak yen. However, it’s expected that the easing of consumer inflation and the recovery of wages due to labour shortages could occur in the first half of 2024 and both consumer and retailer sentiment is on an upward trend. So perhaps a modest recovery could take place soon
Amazon closes 2023 with strong fourth quarter
The Seattle-based online giant ended 2023 on a high note, with a strong fourth quarter that saw significant increases year-on-year in net sales, operating income and net income-
Footwear Consumer 2030
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