Geographical distribution and specializations
The largest number of the 170 companies analyzed is located in the North East with 73 units, followed by the Center with 54 companies. The footwear industry has a strong district connotation which concerns 140 companies representing 85.9% of total turnover, with significant presences in the provinces of Treviso, Florence and Fermo. The most representative category is the one that involves multiproduct operators with a turnover of 4.7 billion (60% of the total), followed by manufacturers of sports shoes (1.2 billion) and women’s shoes (0.8 billion). . The turnover of safety footwear, components and men’s footwear was lower (around 0.3 billion in turnover each). The companies that produce purely are less than 100 million in aggregate turnover slippers and children’s shoes. The productions referable to the high range achieved sales of 4.2 billion, more than half of the general total.
The composition of the supply chain
Own-brand manufacturers reach around 6 billion in turnover (76.4% of the total), while subcontractors stop at 1.5 billion and are smaller in size (these are companies typically suppliers of large international brands, largely in the luxury sector). In general, Italian-controlled companies prevail, accounting for 82.3% of total sales, while the contribution of foreign-controlled operators stops at 17.7% of the total (of which 10% French, primarily Lvmh, Kering, Chanel and Hermès) and involves 25 of the 170 companies.
The high range rewards Italy
The foreign presence is of absolute importance in the high-end segment, confirming the particular appreciation of foreigners, primarily French, for the high quality of the made in Italy: 84.6% of the total abroad belongs to companies that fall into the high-end range.The international projection is one of the most representative characteristics of footwear companies: 66.7% of total turnover comes from abroad, with sports footwear (82.1%) and men’s footwear ( 72.4%). The main markets for Italian companies are Europe, which receives more than half of cross-border sales (52%), Asia which is driven by China (35%) and the Americas supported by the United States (13%). The production base of the companies examined is mainly Italian: 73% of manufacturing sites are located in Italywhile the remaining 27% is in foreign countries: 20% Europe (mostly Eastern), 4% Africa, 2% Asia and 1% Americas.1 For high-end companies, the concentration of national production is greater: 84% of their production base is based in Italy and only 16% is in foreign countries (11% Europe and 5% Africa).
The world scenario and per capita expenditure
The turnover of the world footwear industry can be quantified at 298 billion euros based on retail prices in 2020, with the expectation of exceeding 320 billion euros in 2022 (up 7.5% on 2020) and with a forecast of growth in the longer term in the order of 4% on average per year, for an expected value of approximately 375 billion in 2026. The high-end represents approximately 10% of the world market. In 2020, the average price of a pair of footwear globally can be estimated at around 15 dollars, for an annual per capita consumption of 2.6 pairs which returns an individual expense of around 40 dollars. In Italy the average price of a pair of shoes is estimated at 42.6 euros, for an annual per capita consumption of four pairs and an individual expenditure of around 170 euros. 15.8% for a total of 20.5 billion pairs produced.
The role of Italy
The Asian continent stands out as the largest producer: it accounts for nearly nine of the ten pairs of shoes produced in the world (87.6% of the total). Very far behind are Latin America with 4.6%, Europe with 3.2%, Africa with 3.1% and North America with the remaining 1.5%. China is in first place: it accounts for over half of world production (54.3%), ahead of three other Asian countries: India (10.2%), Vietnam (6.4%) and Indonesia (5.1 %). Italy boasts a leading position: thirteenth producer in the world and first in the European Union. The role of our country is also important in the global export map; Italy is the third world exporter in value, with 8% of total exports, preceded by China (28.2%) and Vietnam (17.6%), and the eighth in volume. Italy is a leader among manufacturers of high-end footwear: the average price of Italian exports (60.43 dollars per pair) is the highest in the world, ahead of that of France (36.44 dollars per pair) and higher. more than twelve times that of China ($ 4.79 per pair).