Footwear Manufacturing

Footwear Manufacturing

Brief Excerpt from Industry Overview Chapter:

Companies in this industry make footwear, including athletic, casual, and dress shoes, as well as boots, sandals, and slippers. Major companies include Nike, Skechers, and Wolverine Worldwide (all based in the US), along with Adidas and PUMA (both based in Germany), ASICS (Japan), and Yue Yuen (China).

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by fashion industry trends, demographics, and consumer disposable income. The profitability of individual companies depends on their ability to design and market shoe models that effectively target consumers' tastes and preferences. Big companies have economies of scale in distribution and marketing. Small companies can compete successfully by specializing.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

For US manufacturers, major products include women's footwear for about 20% of sales, other footwear such as slippers account for more than 10% and wholesale footwear and accessories for about 5%.