Footwear retailers have been hit badly by the COVID-19 outbreak, with sales down by more than a quarter in 2020. 2021 has also started badly, with continuing lockdown restrictions hampering trading. The most badly affected have been those focusing on classic/traditional footwear as consumers have switched to buying more comfortable (and less expensive) footwear that can be worn indoors while they are required to stay at home. At the other end of the spectrum, retailers with a focus on sneakers/trainers and sports footwear have been less significantly impacted.

However, there are still significant opportunities for specialist footwear retailers to grow their businesses. Online sales have boomed during the pandemic but consumers would like more help with sizing and fit when buying online and the technology exists now to enable retailers to deliver that. As an increasing proportion of their sales go online, we also see a broader role for retailers in delivering a range of services while there are also opportunities to capitalise on growing consumer interest in sustainability and localism.

Key issues covered in this Report

  • The impact of COVID-19 on the footwear retailing sector

  • Channels used for buying footwear

  • Which retailers and outlet types people buy footwear from

  • The strategies of the major specialist footwear retailers and their online presence

  • Opportunities for growth for specialist footwear retailers.

Areas covered in this Report

This report covers the footwear market in Italy, with a focus on footwear specialists.

The report does not cover non-specialists, such as department stores, in detail although these are covered briefly in the Channels of Distribution section and also in our consumer research.

The report combines analysis of the market in Italy, including market sizes, specialists’ sales and forecasts, along with our in-depth consumer data, which analyses shoppers’ behaviour.

For the consumer research we asked questions on the following topics:

  • How consumers had shopped for footwear, in-store or online

  • Which retailers had been used for footwear shopping, in-store and online

  • Agreement with a variety of attitude/behaviour statements towards shopping for footwear

For the purpose of this report, Mintel has used the following definitions:

Consumer spending: The total amount spent by Italian households (including sales tax) through all retail channels – both specialist and non-specialist. This covers all footwear categories, including trainers, but excludes game specific footwear (e.g. football boots, ski-boots) and orthopaedic footwear.

Retail sales: total sales of all types of footwear (excluding sales tax) via stores and directly to the consumer by specialist retailers of footwear. It includes online sales of these retailers where the majority of sales are in bricks and mortar outlets.

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