Industry Analysis & Industry Trends
Despite the economic recovery, footwear wholesalers have little to look forward to. Although demand for shoes will improve in line with the economic recovery, retailers' increasing price-setting powers are pushing footwear wholesalers out of the game. Furthermore, an increase in cheap imports will cut into domestic sales. Wholesalers will be forced to slash prices and wages just to stay competitive, causing their profit to suffer... purchase to read more
Industry Report - Industry Analysis Chapter
Footwear wholesalers faced a difficult operating environment during the recession. Retail spending in general, and footwear purchases specifically, plummeted in 2008 and 2009 as consumer purchasing power waned and unemployment climbed. Americans spent more on necessary goods rather than additional pairs of shoes during the recession, causing revenue for the Footwear Wholesaling industry to drop. However, as economic indicators began to inch back up, so did purchases of shoes. In 2013, IBISWorld expects the consumer sentiment index to skyrocket 16.5%. This increase will stimulate consumer demand for discretionary purchases like shoes and cause retailers to demand more shoes from industry operators, helping to drive industry revenue up 2.0% over the year... purchase to read more