The footwear market - United Kingdom

1.1 Definition and scope of the study

The footwear market is a segment of the clothing market, which includes all types of clothing items. These can be broken down by end user (type of consumer), by context of use and by type. Concerning the end user, the distinction is based on gender and age group. The distinction made by looking at uses includes several contexts such as sport, beach, mountain, work, etc. Finally, the type of footwear involves categories such as sport, leisure, formal, etc. In this study, all segments of the footwear market will be considered and analyzed.

 The global footwear market has grown at a moderate pace in recent years. Women's shoes account for almost half of the market's sales. The countries with the largest consumption of shoes in volume terms are (in decreasing order) China, India and the United States. [worldfootwear]

The global footwear market is relatively fragmented: Nike and Adidas are the market leaders, holding approximately 16.3% of the market share in 2019, while the other brands share the remainder. This is made possible by Nike's and Adidas' own product lines, complemented by aggressive acquisitions of other brands.

In the United Kingdom, spending on footwear has been increasing steadily since 2005. This expansion is explained in particular by a growing interest in fashion, a diversified offer and an increased budget dedicated to footwear. In addition, social media helped stimulate this growth, with young consumers taking inspiration from the way their models dress.

One of the main trends in 2020 is the craze for comfortable shoes. Sustainable footwear is also developing rapidly in a context of growing environmental awareness. The French brand Veja, for example, is a vegan shoe brand whose popularity has been growing steadily since 2019. Finally, new store concepts that target the younger generation are being developed in the United Kingdom. The shoe retailer Schuh, which opened TwentyTwenty in Bristol, is one example.

The market structure in the United Kingdom is concentrated; in 2019, the best-selling brands were (in descending order) Nike, Clarks and Adidas, which accounted for approximately 28% of total sales.