Retail
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
Shift towards Streamlined Production Lines is Anticipated
In this edition of the survey, we asked our experts about their opinion on which technology – from a pre-selected list – is most likely to revolutionize the footwear industry in the coming years. Read all about it now
Influencer Marketing seen as a Successful Tool for Footwear
In this edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions survey, we asked our experts about their opinions on the effectiveness of influencer marketing. The results shed light on the apparent noteworthy impact of influencer marketing in the footwear industry
Saks Fifth Avenue owner to acquire Neiman Marcus
HBC, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Neiman Marcus Group, owner of Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, in a deal valued at 2.65 billion USD
Optimistic expectations for footwear retail prices
76% of the respondents of the last edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey expect footwear retail prices to increase over the next six months. The 10th edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey results are now available
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
Positive perspectives about the health of footwear business
Almost 60% of the respondents of the last edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey seem confident regarding the health of their businesses. The 10th edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey results are now available
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
Decathlon UK posts loss as it invests in transformation plan
The UK arm of the French-based retailer posted a 2 million British pounds (2.4m euros) loss in 2023, after investing 10 million British pounds (11.8m euros) in transformation initiatives
Hoff looks to expand in India
The Spanish sneaker brand has teamed up with the e-commerce giant Myntra to enter the Indian market. This move is part of the company’s international growth strategy
Industry is antecipating an increase in the quantity of footwear sold
According to the latest edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey more than 60% of the respondents expect quantities of footwear traded to increase. All results are now available
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
UK retail sales pick up slightly in May
UK retail sales rose by a modest 0.7% year-on-year in May, following an April that was hit by an early Easter and poor weather. Online non-food sales appear to have turned the corner, says the BRC
Cost of raw materials and insufficient demand continues to worry the footwear industry
Respondents of the 10th edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey reveal that cost of raw materials and insufficient demand continue to negatively impact their businesses
Footwear experts expect importance of digital retail channels to continue to increase
Since the first edition of this survey, we have been asking our panel of experts about their expectations regarding the evolution of the percentage that different retail channels represent in the total sales of footwear in their country-
Footwear Consumer 2030
A study reflecting on the main global consumer trends and the key changes for the footwear industry.
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World Footwear Public Calendar
Click here to subscribe an updated version of the calendar displaying the footwear trade shows.
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