Several indicators showed that consumer confidence is improving, reversing the downward trend seen after the invasion of Ukraine, but overall, consumer sentiment remains rather pessimistic. On the other hand, retailer confidence has been on the rise since January. In fact, the TCF (Textile, Clothing and Footwear) Retail Index (seasonally adjusted, by Eurostat), which had been recovering modestly from June to November 2022, soared thereafter as if Christmas were an uninterrupted season for the entire first quarter of 2023, and even the imports’ behaviour seems to have anticipated a sales boom. Meanwhile, expectations for online sales in 2023 are overall positive, but comparisons with the pandemic period might be misleading   

The Portuguese footwear sector proved its resilience in a more difficult environment by exporting 20 million pairs worth 526 million euros in the first quarter of 2023, down by 4.4% in volume but up by 6.8% over the same period of 2022   

The Japan-based sportswear company announced that its fiscal 2022 revenue grew by 22.8% over the prior year, reaching the “record” amount of 212.0 billion Japanese yen (1.50 billion USD)   

The UK-based brand achieved 1 billion British pounds in revenue during fiscal 2023, highlighting the good performances in the EMEA and Japan, but a weaker result in the American region   

The Spanish luxury label has opened in Osaka (Japan) its first store entirely dedicated to the repair and maintenance of leather articles. A leather artisan will be in the store ready to repair and renew damaged products brought in