The French retail sector remained largely stagnant in 2025. Subdued sales, declining consumer confidence and cautious household spending negatively impacted footfall and average basket sizes in physical stores. While e-commerce continued to grow, the footwear sector experienced falling sales, negative sentiment and limited inflationary support. Data on imports also suggests that retailers have adopted more cautious inventory management strategies. Even the approval of the new Budget does not appear to lift the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the year ahead   

Brazil’s footwear imports surged in January, with a year-on-year increase of 34.3% in volume and 31.2% in value. This increase comes amid slowing domestic consumption and weakening national production   

The Portuguese footwear industry has strengthened its international presence by collaborating with prominent designers at major fashion events in New York, Paris and Milan   

With sustainability in its core, ISI, a Portuguese manufacturer specialised in injected soles, aims to accelerate digitalisation and artificial intelligence use under the FAIST consortium   

The US Supreme Court has ruled against former President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs. This has prompted reactions from US retail groups and international industry stakeholders