World Footwear

World Footwear Reports

UK Retail: signs of a slowdown are emerging

Premium ContentAug 11, 2025 / United Kingdom
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

Premium ContentAug 7, 2025 / Germany
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

Premium ContentAug 1, 2025 / Spain
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

Premium ContentJul 28, 2025 / France
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

AI's impact in the footwear industry

Premium ContentJul 23, 2025 / Business Conditions Survey
Artificial Intelligence seems destined to deeply change our lives, so we have asked our panel of experts about the expected impact of this tool in the footwear business. Get free access to the report with the main conclusions

Netherlands Retail: mixed signs in the first half of the year

Premium ContentJul 22, 2025 / Netherlands
Despite a strong start to 2025, the Dutch retail sector has been experiencing some volatility. Sales in the footwear sector recorded significant fluctuations, reaching their lowest point in April with a decline of 7.5%, before recovering to a decline of 2.5% in May. Notably, the footwear sector experienced negative inflation in these months, meaning consumers paid less for footwear. However, imports to the Netherlands have increased in the first quarter, and Retail confidence remains above zero. Therefore, despite negative consumer confidence and a challenging macroeconomic backdrop, there may still be some hope for the rest of the year

Stability is the word for employment levels in the footwear sector

Premium ContentJul 16, 2025 / Business Conditions Survey
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

Optimistic outlook for the footwear industry’s business health

Premium ContentJul 10, 2025 / Business Conditions Survey
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

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

Trump's Tariffs Expected to Negatively Impact Footwear

Premium ContentJul 2, 2025 / Business Conditions Survey
In the latest edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey, we have asked our panel about the expected impact of Trump's wave of tariffs in footwear. The expectations are not positive. Read it all by accessing the report with the main conclusions

Footwear industry anticipates sales volumes will increase

Premium ContentJun 30, 2025 / Business Conditions Survey
More than 60% of the respondents of the last edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey expect quantities of footwear traded in their country to increase over the next six months. The report with the main conclusions of the 12th edition of the survey is now available

Cost of raw materials continues to worry the footwear industry

Premium ContentJun 24, 2025 / Business Conditions Survey
Cost of merchandise or raw materials maintains its position as the top concern for the footwear industry, according to respondents of the 12th edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey. Domestic market challenges have intensified

Footwear prices to increase over the next six months

Premium ContentJun 17, 2025 / Business Conditions Survey
75% 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 report with the results of the 12th edition of the survey is now available

Climbing the ladder from manufacturing to launching a brand: how can technology help?

Premium ContentJun 16, 2025 / World Footwear Reports
JUST RELEASED! The latest World Footwear Innovation Paper explains how footwear manufacturers can use available technology to launch their own brands, and outlines other important considerations in the process

Less Optimism about Footwear Consumption in 2025

Premium ContentJun 4, 2025 / Business Conditions Survey
The results of 12th edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey are now available. The average expected growth rate for footwear consumption is 7.6%, slightly less than the 8.4% projection made in the last quarter of 2024
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