All Market Statistics articles
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Italy’s economic expansion continues
A phase of economic expansion that began in Italy in the third quarter of 2025 is continuing, said the statistics institute Istat in a note on the Italian economy for the months of July and August. Italian GDP in the second quarter of 2026 increased by 0.2 percent compared to ...
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ArticleGerman fashion consumers become more selective
German fashion customers are becoming more selective about their clothing purchases, prioritising fit, comfort, quality and value for money, but are also buying less frequently and seeking less information, according to the GermanFashion Consumer Panel 2026, released by the industry association GermanFashion and conducted by the market researcher Innofact. ...
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UK's retail sales growth slows down in August
In August, total UK retail sales rose by 0.7% year-on-year compared with a rise of 1.3 percent in July and against growth of 3.1 percent in August 2025, according to data released by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) covering the four weeks from Aug. 2 to 29. Total sales were ...
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UK's retail footfall improves in August but remains weak
In August, retail footfall in the UK fell by 1.7 percent year-on-year, less than the 2.1 percent contraction seen in July, with the improvement driven by retail parks, according to data released by the British Retail Consortium and Sensormatic. “Footfall improved on the previous month, though still down on last ...
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Germany’s growth outlook for 2026 improves
Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to rise by 1.4 percent this year, driven by a boost from abroad and infrastructure spending that will offset the energy price shock, the Ifo Institute said in its latest report, raising its forecast from the previously expected 0.8 percent growth. The think ...
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ArticlePortugal remains Europe’s second largest footwear producer
In 2025, Portugal retained its position as Europe’s second largest footwear producer, ahead of Spain but behind Italy, according to the World Footwear Yearbook 2026 released by the Portuguese footwear association Apiccaps. The survey showed that Portugal rose to 18th place among the world’s largest footwear producers in 2025 with ...
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US footwear sales up 1% in H1 thanks to higher prices
Total sales for the US footwear industry rose by 1 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2026 as higher average selling prices offset weaker demand reflected in a decline in units sold, according to the market intelligence firm Circana. Performance footwear remained the industry’s ”standout growth engine” in the ...
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Skechers is the second best-selling footwear brand in the US
Skechers claims that it is now the second largest footwear brand in units sold in the US, without providing data. ”The company’s escalated position can be attributed to Skechers’ strength across multiple areas of its business, including its ability to deliver high-quality, affordable footwear that meets the needs of consumers ...
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ArticleGlobal footwear production reached 24.6 billion pairs in 2025
In 2025, global footwear production increased by a meager 0.1 percent to 24.6 billion pairs from a revised estimate of 24.5 billion pairs in 2024, according to the World Footwear Yearbook 2026 released by the Portuguese footwear association Apiccaps. The output figure for 2024 was revised up significantly from 23.9 ...
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UK consumer confidence continues to improve
British consumer confidence improved to -14 in August from -17 in June and reached its highest level in two years, according to the GfK Consumer Confidence Barometer powered by the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM). “Does all this mean that people have greater faith in the new government to ...
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ArticleIn July, Brazil posted its first trade deficit in footwear
In July, Brazil posted a trade deficit in footwear of $3.6 million, the first on record since the current data series started in 1997, according to Abicalçados, the Brazilian footwear association. In July, the South American country’s imports totaled $66 million in value, in line with a year earlier, and ...
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Germany lost 190,000 business in 2025
Nearly 190,000 businesses closed in Germany in 2025, up by about 10 percent compared to the year earlier, according to calculations from the economic research institution ZEW and Creditreform. According to their data, only about one in eight firm closures were due to insolvency, as increasingly firms with medium ...
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ArticleOne in two Germans is cutting back on clothing and accessories
German consumers continue to cut back on spending, with clothing and accessories remaining the category most affected, as “rising prices, geopolitical uncertainty and ongoing financial pressures continue to affect the daily lives of many consumers,” the latest Idealo Savings Report 2026 showed. However, “saving no longer simply means doing without. ...
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Consumer confidence improves in the UK, stabilizes in Germany
In the UK, consumer confidence improved to -17 in July from -23 in June, according to the GfK Consumer Confidence Barometer powered by the Nuremberg Institute for Market Decisions (NIM). It is the largest improvement in sentiment since November 2023. “Hot on the heels of the summer heat waves, July ...
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French footwear exports down 2% in the first 5 months
French exports of footwear totaled €2.121 billion in the first five months of 2026, down by 2 percent year-over-year, while imports were down by 8 percent at €3.088 billion, according to data released by Alliance France Cuir, the trade association representing the country’s leather and leather goods industry. It added ...
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The EU’s population has peaked
With a current population of nearly 451 million people, the European Union’s population has peaked, according to a report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. The EU’s population is projected to be around 445 million by 2050, and 398.8 million by 2100, representing an overall decrease ...
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ArticleItalian shoemakers saw their revenues decline again
In the first quarter of 2026, revenues of Italian footwear manufacturers fell by 2.7 percent year-over-year, resuming a downward trend after a 1.1 percent rise in the final three months of 2025, according to a survey carried out between April and May by Confindustria Accessori Moda among members of the ...
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ArticleAustrian footwear retailers plan to reduce budgets for spring/summer 2027
Weak consumer sentiment and falling footfall, compounded by high costs and structural deficits such as rigid ordering systems and increasing digital displacement, are putting increasing pressure on the Austrian shoe retail sector, a survey from buying group Ringschuh Austria showed. Most retailers plan to reduce their budgets for next ...
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ArticleGlobal luxury spending seen stabilizing in 2026
Worldwide luxury spending reached €1,443 billion in 2025 and is on a trajectory of gradual stabilization in 2026, according to the spring update of the Bain-Altagamma Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study, a report released by the consultancy Bain & Company in partnership with Altagamma, the Italian luxury goods industry ...
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French footwear production fell to 10.1m pairs in 2025
The production of footwear in France dropped to 10.1 million pairs in 2025 from 12.6 million the previous year, according to data released by Alliance France Cuir, the trade association representing the country’s leather and leather goods industry. Excluding slippers, shoe manufacturing fell to 6.6 million pairs from 9.0 ...
