Italian shoes too expensive for Germans? The year 2024 confirmed the crisis of Made in Italy footwear in Germany. From January to November, according to numbers provided by the German association HDS/L, imports of Italian footwear amounted to 828 million euros, down 20% from 2023. While on the other hand, overall, the drop in German shoe imports was just 1.7%.
“Less likely to buy shoes”
It’s long been said that the market in Germany is in crisis. But looking at the numbers, it’s especially true for Italian footwear, which stands out for quality and style, but also for a high average price, compared to competitors. “In spite of wage increases, consumers have less and less money in their wallets because of ever-increasing costs for housing, health care and mobility”, warned Rolf Pangels, director general of BTE (the German textile, footwear and leather goods retail association) at a press conference held during the “Shoes Düsseldorf” tradeshow that recently closed in the German city, Fashion United reports. More generally, geopolitical crises and uncertainty about their own economic future make German consumers “less likely to buy shoes“. And if they do, they buy sneakers and look for the cheapest price, cutting out Made in Italy.
Vietnamese sneaker boom
Not surprisingly, sneaker specialist Vietnam has become the leading provider for German shoe imports, bypassing China. According to data released by the BTE itself, in 2024, the shoe industry’s turnover decreased by 0.8% to 11.62 billion euro. But in real terms, that is, adjusted for inflation, the decline was even greater. In fact, in 2024 consumer prices for shoes increased by about 5.5%, slightly less than in the previous year. Many German retailers are pessimistic about the future. Nearly half of those surveyed expect sales to decline by at least another 1% in 2025. One in three companies even fear a decline of 5% or more.
The domestic market holds
In contrast, the HDS/L association took stock of the German footwear industry, which from January to November 2024, generated 2.12 billion euro in sales, +2.4% compared to the same period in 2023. Domestic sales increased by 4.5%, while exports decreased by 6.6%. Including shoes not produced in Germany but imported, the total value of German exports was about 10.4 billion euros in 2024, +3% over 2023. Export to Italy was 677 million euros, in line with 2023.
Images from Shutterstock and Shoes Düsseldorf
