UK Footwear Retailers 2008

Abstract

Verdict Research: This report provides in-depth insight into the rapidly changing UK footwear market including detailed profiles of the leading footwear retailers across the specialist, sportswear and clothing sectors. The report studies current market trends, highlighting opportunities and threats with action points for all types of footwear retailer.

• Ten years' data on market value and growth rates in men' s, women' s and children' s footwear. Five years' data on footwear distribution channels.
• Market shares of major operators five years' historical data. Market share estimates for 2007.
• Key operating statistics of each retailer, including footwear sales per sq ft, trading record, operating margins and store portfolio analysis.

We estimate that the growth rate in the footwear market will be 4.6% in 2007 to reach £5,484m; a considerable improvement on 2006' s increase of just 0.7%. This is the fastest rate of growth since 2003 and comes despite subdued expectations for this year due to an expected downturn in consumer spending.

Specialists lost 1.1 percentage points to reach just 41.8% share. Over half of this market share was lost by Stylo, Shoe Zone and Stead & Simpson who each declined by 0.2 percentage points. There were some moves towards consolidation with the closure of Ravel by Clarks and Shoe Zone buying the Co-op Group' s footwear business Shoefayre.

Footwear retailers have seen a severe impact from the anti-dumping tariffs on their margins and so on their profitability. Although the clothing specialists also face the same problems, they are generally larger organisations, with higher profitability and so better able to withstand this shock to their systems.

• Understand how the UK footwear market is changing.
• Benchmark your performance against key competitors.
• Identify how the successful retailers are growing their share of the market.