Footwear Manufacturing Industry Profile

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).

The global footwear market makes about $495 billion annually and is expected to have an annual growth rate of 2.35% from 2024 to 2029, according to Statista. Top exporting markets include China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey, and Italy, according to the World Population Review.

The US footwear manufacturing industry consists of about 220 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with sales of about $1.8 billion.

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.

The US industry is concentrated: the top 50 companies account for about 95% of sales. Many of the major shoe companies in the US are mainly owners of brand names that contract to have shoes made by independent manufacturers in other countries. Because of the lower costs to manufacture footwear abroad, imports account for nearly all of the US market. The largest suppliers to the US ...