All Shoe Intelligence articles in Volume 28, Issue 19+20
View all stories from this issue.
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News briefs
Dick’s issues a profit warning due to challenging market conditions
Dick’s Sporting Goods cut its full-year guidance citing “challenging” conditions in athletic footwear and apparel markets. The Ohio-based retailer now expects diluted earnings per share for the year to be $10.94-11.94 compared to a previous forecast of $13.27-14.27. Net sales for the year are expected to be $21.9-22.2 billion from ...
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News briefs
Clarks Originals launches an apparel collection
Clarks launched its first global non-footwear collection by extending its Originals brand into apparel and accessories. The unisex collection comprises T-shirts, baseball caps and socks. It is available in selected Clarks stores and on Clarks.com. The move aims to extend “the Originals identity beyond footwear, offering new ways to represent ...
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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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ArticleUK trade union urges Zotefoams to reconsider transferring footwear foam production to Vietnam
The British trade union GMB urged Zotefoams to reconsider plans to transfer the production of foam for footwear to Vietnam from Croydon, south of London, where the company has been operating for over 90 years. The British company has an exclusive deal to supply high-performance foam to Nike. The production ...
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News briefs
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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News briefs
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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ArticleHow Kidderminster Footwear aims to bolster its European e-commerce business
Kidderminster Footwear is interested in growing its e-commerce business in Europe and is trying to get better terms with e-commerce marketplaces to make access to customers on the continent easier. “We do some e-commerce in Europe, but we would like to do more,” says John Drysdale, Key Account Manager of ...
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ArticleImports of small parcels into the EU collapse according to the French government
Imports into the European Union through small parcels has declined by 30 to 40 percent thanks to the introduction of levy on such purchases, according to the French Economy Minister, Roland Lescure. As of July 1, parcels mailed to the EU with a value of up to €150 are subject ...
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ArticleBally's crisis continues amid restructuring and takeover uncertainty
The future of the Swiss luxury shoemaker Bally remains uncertain as the crisis at the 175-year-old company deepens and its owner, Regent LP, struggles to turn the business around. Bally has been in provisional debt restructuring under the supervision of the Lugano bankruptcy office since mid-June, a move that ...
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News briefs
Frasers plans to hike its stake in Hugo Boss to above 50%
Frasers Group plans to increase its stake in Hugo Boss to above 50 percent. Following a public tender offer ended Aug. 13, Frasers owns 47.89 percent of the German fashion group. “There can be no certainty as to whether, when, or at what price any such acquisitions will be made, ...
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News briefs
Converse hires a Chief Operating Officer
Nike has appointed Kristin Bauer as Chief Operating Officer of Converse, putting a veteran supply chain executive in a key role as the sneaker brand struggles through one of the deepest downturns in its history. Bauer will begin on Sept. 14. The hire arrives as Nike faces mounting pressure to ...
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News briefs
CEC welcomes two new members
The European Footwear Confederation (CEC) announced two new associate members: Trade Partners Sweden and CAST Trade Platform for the Footwear, Sports & Fashion Industry in the Netherlands. ”Their accession reflects CEC’s ambition to broaden its community and strengthen cooperation across the entire footwear ecosystem,” the CEC said. ”In 2026, CEC ...
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ArticleHyosung begins commercial operation of its bio-BDO factory in Vietnam
Hyosung TNC has officially begun commercial operation of its 50,000-ton-per-year bio-butanediol (BDO) plant built in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The project is part of a $1 billion investment program to reach an annual output of 200,000 tons of bio-BDO. BDO is a raw material for the production of PTMG ...
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ArticleMicam has a new line up of emerging designers
Along with a new layout, Micam, which will run from Sept. 13 to 15 at the Fieramilano Rho exhibition center on the outskirts of Milan, is presenting a new line up of emerging designers. The scouting of new talent in international footwear was done in partnership with Honegger, a company ...
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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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ArticleAzzas 2154 to be broken up
Azzas 2154 will be split into three entities just two years after its creation. The Brazilian fasion group is the result of the merger in 2024 of the footwear company Arezzo & Co and the apparel company Grupo Soma. The decision comes as the group’s leading shareholders, Alexandre Birman, the ...
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ArticleGenesco raises guidance for earnings, cuts sales guidance after better-than-expected Q2
Genesco raised its earnings guidance while cutting its outlook for sales after reporting better-than-expected results for both its top and bottom lines in its second quarter of fiscal year 2027. Highlighting its second-quarter performance, including stronger gross margins and better expense management, the US footwear retailer said it now expects ...
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News briefs
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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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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News briefs
Indian sneaker brand Zaydn raises $680,000 in seed funding round
Zaydn, a New Delhi-based sneaker and lifestyle brand founded in 2022 by Ankit Dass, has secured approximately $680,000 in a seed funding round led by Inflection Point Ventures, a venture capital firm headquartered in Gurugram, India. The round also saw participation from BeyondSeed and a group of private angel investors. ...
