The German shoe trade had to record a decline in sales in the first half of 2025. The BTE Handelsverband Textil Schuhe Lederwaren sees the continued wave of insolvency and closure as one of the main reasons for the decline.
On average, dealers are said to have booked a sales of three to four percent in the first six months compared to the same period in the same period, the industry association said on Monday using figures from the Federal Statistical Office. With the exception of March in which a sales pari was reached, there was a single -digit decline in all months.
Shoes are bought online
Customers buy its shoes more online, as can be seen from the consumer: internal survey of the e-commerce association. Expenditures for shoes in online trade rose by 5.8 percent in the first quarter of 2025 and 7.6 percent in the second quarter. According to Sönke Padberg, this is due to the fanding of customers: inside during pandemic, which have informed themselves about products during this time. In addition, the quality of the offers has also increased, according to the BTE shoe expert.
The decline in stationary specialist dealers: inside and the range of assortment of the fashion trade, which also offers more shoes, plays a role. According to BTE, there are currently a maximum of around 2,500 companies that sell shoes in Germany. In 2010, according to VAT statistics, there were over 5,000 companies. Even with the involvement of shoe brands, the total stock of all stationary shoe stores is currently under 8,000, says Padberg. The reasons for this are the lack of succession and the difficult economic situation since pandemic.
At the moment, sales in the stationary shoe retailer are still a few percentage points below the 2019 pre-corona level. “At the same time, the costs have increased by around 30 percent since 2020, so that many shoe retailers end up in the red figures,” said Padberg.
Shoe retailer remains skeptical
With a view of the future, the shoe retailer remains skeptical. According to the current “HDE business survey summer”, two thirds of the participating shoe and leather goods dealers are expecting a decline in sales for the current year, according to the current “HDE business survey summer”- just almost everyone: R Fifth expects growth.
The reasons for this are called to be reluctant to buy (78 percent), bureaucracy load (63 percent) as well as minimum wages and loss of attractiveness of the city centers (51 percent each).