Confidence
France Retail: watch out for the snowball effect
Both the footwear and the retail sector as a whole have failed to start the year on a strong footing, according to sales data. Consumers, who seemed to start the year in a more positive mood, took a step back in March and remain pessimistic about the French economy. Import data also suggest that retail confidence is in free fall. All in all, the risk of a snowball effect in the French retail sector cannot be dismissed.
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Netherlands Retail: optimism reigns at the start of the year
Despite falling consumer confidence in the Netherlands, footwear retailers have good reason to be optimistic about 2025. The data shows that consumers have absorbed the expected lower price increases – footwear inflation shows no signs of abating – and will be spending. In fact, overall retail and e-commerce sales in the Netherlands are forecast to grow by 3.5% and 8%, respectively, this year. It’s worth noting that online shopping continues to stand out as a preferred channel for Dutch shoppers
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Matt Priest (FDRA) on Trump administration’s tariff policy: all of this has created a lot of uncertainty in our market
We bring you an interview with Matt Priest, CEO & President of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA). The impact of the tariffs imposed on Mexico, Canada and China on US retailers, consumers and the country's economy dominated the conversation
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
Japan Retail: no concrete forecasts as the country adjusts to a new economic paradigm
While the online channel continues to stand out in a retail market that has seen a slight increase in spending since September 2024, the fashion sector has struggled the most, most likely due to the warm weather that has affected seasonal shopping. For footwear in particular, after a year of low prices, there’s reason to wonder if the picture of near-zero interest rates could hurt consumer behaviour, as their confidence wanes. The overall stability of imports, despite currency fluctuations, doesn't allow for a concrete forecast
US Retail: fuzzy outlook for the year 2025
While footwear sales are expected to have ended 2024 on a high note, overall retail sales were more subdued than in the previous year, suggesting that consumers were cautiously optimistic throughout the year. However, rising inflation in the final months of the year appears to have made them wary again and import figures suggesting that retailers will need to stock up again may be hard to come by, as the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on goods from Mexico, Canada and China have caused some instability. While the outlook for 2025 is not negative, it is certainly not euphoric
Germany Retail: cautious optimist prevails as the year begins
There are no fireworks in the German retail sector. Overall sales are stable, with e-commerce standing out, inflation is on target, and consumer confidence, which remains negative, has risen slightly. However, retailers have experienced a rollercoaster of emotions throughout 2024, and the only certainty at the start of the year is cautious optimism. Political turmoil, economic difficulties and geopolitical conflicts could just as easily lead to a turbulent year for retail
Spain Retail: will the positive momentum hold up?
Fashion retail sales were generally positive from July to November 2024, but will this trend continue? While we await official data on year-end sales, the negative footwear inflation seen in October and November, combined with a rise in consumer confidence, may have helped to boost spending. And with import figures showing that retailers were stocking up, let’s hope the holidays were the reason, as a recent dip in retail confidence could be just the bad news the sector didn’t need to hear at the start of the year
UK consumers to cut spending in January
UK retailers could be bracing themselves for a squeeze in consumer spending due to a sharp fall in expectations about the country’s economic situation, according to the British Retail Consortium
France Retail: retailers cautiously optimistic for the holidays
October brought good news for footwear sales and retailer confidence is also on the rise, despite negative footwear inflation and rising costs. However, the picture isn’t clear regarding consumer confidence, which fell to a five-month low in November as households worried about the economic outlook in light of France’s difficult political environment. Will this weigh on footwear sales in the last two months of the year, or will recent news that consumers are planning to spend more on the festive season prevail?
Shoe Zone issues profit warning
The British footwear retailer has cut its full year adjusted profit forecast due to difficult trading conditions and increased costs resulting from the October government budget
Netherlands Retail: good expectations for the footwear holiday season
After record growth between July and September, footwear sales fell abruptly in October, accompanied by a hiccup in consumer confidence. But that’s no cause for despair: lower footwear inflation has kept footwear prices relatively stable and there has been a recent upturn in retailer confidence. This could bode well for the future of footwear imports, especially with the festive season just around the corner. In this context, the online channel will continue to be favoured by Dutch consumers to shop
LAST CALL! Join the 11th edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey
The WorldFootwear.com is asking all experts within the footwear industry to share their views on the current business situation. Join the new edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey. WE WANT TO HEAR YOU!-
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