There are signs that footwear retail sales could rise moderately in the near term, but this will all depend on future price behaviour. On the one hand, the CPI suggests that the risk of renewed price rises is well contained, but on the other hand, retailers continue to manage excess inventories, so their pricing power may not be more evident until 2024. Perhaps better news comes from consumers’ inflation expectations for the next 12 months, as they seem to believe that they will get a break from inflation, which usually leads to more discretionary demand   

Italy recorded a footwear production of 148 million pairs last year, down by 8.6% year-over-year and a far cry from 2019’s 179 million pairs, after a progressive slowdown since the start of 2023   

In the latest edition of the World Footwear Business Conditions Survey, we asked our experts about their opinion on the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on the location of footwear production for major international brands   

The New York-based designer and marketer of footwear, accessories and apparel ended its fiscal 2023 with a solid performance, despite a decline in full year revenue and profits   

The Portuguese safety boot manufacturer carried out a reforestation project in the Mata Nacional do Urso, a part of the Leiria forest which was severely affected by the 2017 fires