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Footwear Retailing - UK - July 2018

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Products covered in this Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
Footwear grows 8% in 2017
Figure 1: UK footwear sales, best- and worst-case forecast, 2013-23
Men’s footwear outperforming
Figure 2: UK footwear sales, segmented by women’s, men’s and children’s, % share, 2015-17
Footwear and clothing specialists market share reduced
Figure 3: Estimated distribution of spending on footwear, by type of retailer, 2015-17
Unpredictable weather affects footwear sales
Figure 4: UK monthly mean temperature, year-on-year difference, January 2017-May 2018
Companies and brands
Sport-focused retailers continue to grow
JD Sports number one for footwear
Figure 5: Estimated market shares for top 10 retailers of footwear, by value, 2017
Clarks comes highly recommended
Figure 6: Key metrics for selected brands, April 2018
The consumer
Casual styles popular for all
Figure 7: Styles of women’s footwear purchased, May 2018
Amazon most popular pureplay retailer
Figure 8: Retailers footwear has been purchased from, by channel, May 2018
Wide range of sizes is important
Figure 9: Top factors in deciding where to purchase footwear, May 2018
Comfort important aspect when choosing footwear
Figure 10: Top factors when deciding what footwear to purchase, May 2018
Three quarters prefer to try shoes on in-store before buying
Figure 11: Footwear shopper behaviour, May 2018
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
What part does seasonality play in footwear sales?
The facts
The implications
Men’s footwear fuelling growth in the market
The facts
The implications
Growing demand for larger range of sizing
The facts
The implications
Figure 12: ASOS wide fit shoes, 2018
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Footwear grows 8% in 2017
Footwear sales predicted to rise 26% by 2023
Men’s footwear outperforming
Sports good retailers increase share
Unpredictable weather affects footwear sales
People spending less on fashion items
MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Footwear shows strong growth of 8% in 2017
Figure 13: UK footwear sales, best- and worst-case forecast, 2013-23
Footwear forecast to grow 26% by 2023
Figure 14: UK footwear sales, at current and 2018 prices, 2013-23
Men’s footwear making gains
Figure 15: UK footwear sales, segmented by market value and percentage share, 2015-17
Figure 16: UK footwear sales, segmented by women’s, men’s and children’s, % share, 2015-17
Forecast methodology
CHANNELS TO MARKET
Footwear and clothing specialists reduce market share
Figure 17: Estimated distribution of spending on footwear, by type of retailer, 2015-17
Figure 18: Estimated distribution of spending on footwear, by type of retailer, 2015-17
MARKET DRIVERS
Increased acceptance of casual dressing
Figure 19: Items bought for sports use or casualwear, September 2017
Unpredictable weather
Figure 20: UK monthly mean temperature, year-on-year difference, January 2017-May 2018
Disposable income higher than ever …
Figure 21: Median UK disposable household income, 1977-2016 (2016 prices)
… But housing costs surge
Figure 22: Median monthly private sector rent as a percentage of median gross monthly salary, by region, England and Wales, 2016
People spending less on fashion items
Figure 23: Items respondents have purchased for themselves, percentage point change between March 2017-April 2018
Impact of Brexit
Figure 24: Sterling to US Dollar exchange rate chart, by month, 2013-18
Demographic changes
Figure 25: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2012-22
COMPANIES AND BRANDS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
JD Sports has tripled its operating profit since 2015
Footwear sales from fashion-driven retailers slow
Online growth slows
Brantano closes its retail stores
Top 10 retailers lose market share
Advertising spend increases in 2017
LEADING SPECIALISTS
Clarks
Footwear sales from fashion-forward retailers slow
Jones Bootmaker changes ownership for the second time in one year
Figure 26: Leading footwear specialists: UK Revenues, 2013-17
Sport focused retailers expand
Shoe Zone takes advantage of closures
Figure 27: Leading footwear specialists: UK outlet numbers, 2013-17
Sales per outlet
Figure 28: Leading footwear specialists: estimated UK sales per outlet, 2013-17
Operating profit and margins
Figure 29: Leading footwear specialists: UK operating profits, 2013-17
LEADING NON-SPECIALIST RETAILERS
Sports Direct continues spending spree
M&S face facts
JD has tripled its operating profit since 2015
New Looks sales continue to fall
Figure 30: Leading non-specialist retailers: estimated footwear sales (excluding VAT), 2012-17
Figure 31: In-store vs Online May 2018
Figure 8: Leading non-specialist retailers: Positioning, offer and brands stocked, 2017
MARKET SHARE
JD Sports number one for footwear
Figure 32: Estimated market shares for top 10 retailers of footwear, by value, 2017
Figure 33: Estimated market shares for top 20 retailers of footwear, 2013-17
ONLINE
Online forecast to account for almost £2.75 billion of footwear sales
Figure 34: Estimated online sales of footwear 2014-18
Distribution
Growth in confidence in online spending
Figure 35: Estimated distribution of online sales, 2015-17
Leading players
Figure 36: Leading online footwear retailers: estimated online sales and online market shares, 2015-17
Consumer research
Figure 37: Online retailers from where consumers have bought footwear for themselves in the last 12 months, May 2018
SPACE ALLOCATION SUMMARY
Specialists’ space allocation summary
Figure 38: Specialist footwear retailers’ space allocation estimates, June 2018
Specialists detailed space allocation estimates
Figure 39: Specialist footwear retailers’ detailed space allocation estimates, June 2018
Non-specialists space allocation overview
Figure 40: Non-specialist retailers’ footwear space allocation estimates, June 2018
Non-specialists detailed space allocation estimates
Figure 41: Non-specialist footwear retailers’ detailed space allocation estimates, June 2018
Non-specialists footwear departments
Figure 42: Estimated in-store footwear as percentage of total selling space in non-specialist footwear retailers, June 2018
LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
Sustainable footwear
Ethical and environmentally friendly material
Vegan footwear
Figure 43: Hugo Boss Piñatex trainers, 2018
Bubble gum shoes
Figure 44: gumshoe made from recycled chewing gum
Nike uses 3D printing to create the lightest possible trainer
Athleisure: trend to permanent fixture
Footwear collaborations
Gucci DIY x Mytheresa.com
Figure 45: Gucci DIY x Mytheresa.com, 2017
Alife x Crocs
Figure 46: Alife x Crocs collaboration, 2018
Off-White x everyone
Rick Owens x Birkenstock
Disney x asics
Figure 47: asics Disney collaboration for the launch of the film the Incredibles 2
Inclusivity
‘Nude’ is not a colour
Transparency trading
It’s all about kitten heels
Lower heels are outselling high heels in sales
Revisiting the archive
Ferragamo to reissue shoe designs from the golden age of Hollywood
Leading sportswear brands continue to re-release past models
Retail theatre and experiential shopping
In-store technology
Figure 48: Image of Browns East October 2017
Figure 49: Farfetch store of the future, 2018
Nike Reactland
Figure 4: Nike’s in-store retail video game Reactland
Luxury footwear launches
Authenticity and Integrity
Incredibly useful design
Figure 50: Adidas EQT Support 93 / Berlin Collaboration January 2018
2018 to be the biggest year of trainer reselling
ADVERTISING AND MARKETING ACTIVITY
Expenditure up 18.8% in 2017
Figure 1: Total above-the-line online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on footwear 2014-17
Leading players
Figure 51: mahabis Facebook advert, 2018
Figure 52: recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on footwear, by advertiser, 2014 - 2017
Key campaigns
asics - Back to Mindfulness
Figure 53: asics I Move Me campaign, featuring DJ Steve Aoki, 2018
Majority of 2017 advertising budgets spent through TV commercials
Figure 54: Total Above-the-line online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on footwear, by media type in 2017
Figure 55: Total Above-the-line online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on footwear, by media type in 2017
Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
BRAND RESEARCH
Brand map
Figure 56: Attitudes towards and usage of selected brands, April 2018
Key brand metrics
Figure 57: Key metrics for selected brands, April 2018
Brand attitudes: Kurt Geiger consistently shows high quality
Figure 58: Attitudes, by brand, April 2018
Brand personality: Skechers benefits from fun, accessible and upbeat image
Figure 59: Brand personality – macro image, April 2018
Birkenstock enjoys comfort purchasing trend
Figure 60: Brand personality – micro image, April 2018
Brand analysis
Clarks makes efforts to change brand perceptions
Figure 61: User profile of Clarks, April 2018
Birkenstock consumers are happy to pay a little extra for comfort
Figure 62: User profile of Birkenstock, April 2018
Skechers benefits from a high level of brand awareness
Figure 63: User profile of Skechers, April 2018
UGG perceived as being overrated
Figure 64: User profile of UGG, April 2018
Dr. Martens perceived to set trends amongst young demographic
Figure 65: User profile of Dr. Martens, April 2018
Kurt Geiger worth paying more for
Figure 66: User profile of Kurt Geiger, April 2018
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Casual styles popular across the board
Young men driving footwear sales
Amazon top performing pureplay retailer
Sports retailers more appealing to male shoppers
Wide range of sizes is important
Iconic footwear proves popular
Vegan footwear wanted
TYPES OF FOOTWEAR BOUGHT
Casual styles increasingly popular for women
Figure 67: Styles of women’s footwear purchased, May 2018
Flip flops increasingly popular with young age group
Figure 68: Styles of men’s footwear purchased, May 2018
Figure 69: Flip flops purchased, by age group, May 2018
Figure 70: Nike Benassi slide, 2018
Young men most likely to purchase footwear
Figure 71: Those who have not bought any footwear for themselves in the last 12 months, by age group, May 2018
Women more likely to purchase several styles
Figure 72: Repertoire of styles purchased, by gender, May 2018
Trainers even more popular for children than school shoes
Figure 73: Styles of children’s footwear purchased, May 2018
Those with younger children more likely to purchase several styles
Figure 74: Repertoire of styles purchased, by age of children in household, May 2018
WHERE FOOTWEAR IS BOUGHT
Three quarters shopped for footwear in-store
Figure 75: Channels used for footwear purchasing, by age, May 2018
People more likely to go in-store when buying from specialists
Figure 76: Types of retailers footwear was purchased from, by channel, May 2018
Three retailers come top
Figure 77: Retailers footwear has been purchased from, by channel, May 2018
Amazon outperforms other pureplay retailers
Gender split for sports retailers
Figure 78: Inside Sports Direct Oxford Street flagship store, 2018
Figure 79: Percentage shopped for footwear at sports retailers, by gender, May 2018
Clarks and Sainsbury’s popular with broad demographics
Figure 80: Clarks and Sainsbury’s footwear shoppers, by age group, May 2018
Online shoppers more loyal
Figure 81: Repertoire of retailers purchased from, by channel, May 2018
DECIDING WHERE TO PURCHASE FOOTWEAR
Range of prices is top deciding factor
Figure 82: Top factors in deciding where to purchase footwear, May 2018
Wide range of sizes growing more important
Figure 83: Importance of wide range of sizes, by age group, May 2018
CHOOSING FOOTWEAR
Comfort is the most important aspect when choosing footwear
Figure 84: Top factors when deciding what footwear to purchase, May 2018
Brand most important aspect after comfort, quality, and style
Eco-friendly materials low in priority list
BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS BUYING FOOTWEAR
Three quarters will try shoes on in-store
Figure 85: Footwear shopper behaviour, May 2018
Capitalising on the in-store preference
Iconic footwear proves popular
Figure 86: Interest in buying re-released iconic footwear, by age and gender, May 2018
Figure 87: Return of Buffalo London, 2018
Changing weather a challenge for footwear
Veganism making an impact on footwear
Parents particularly interested in gender neutral footwear
Figure 88: Footwear retailing – CHAID – Tree output, May 2018
Figure 89: Footwear Retailing– CHAID – Table output, May 2018
Methodology
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Abbreviations
Consumer research methodology
APPENDIX – MARKET SIZE AND FORECAST
Forecast methodology
Figure 90: UK footwear sales, best- and worst-case forecast, 2018-23

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