The Spanish footwear industry report, produced by the Federation of the Spanish Footwear Industry (FICE), covers production, employment, exports and consumer trends. Sales rose by 12.1 percent, driven largely by domestic consumption. Exports surpassed the 3 billion euro threshold for the first time, a milestone confirmed by Modaes using data from multiple statistical sources including the National Institute of Statistics, Social Security, Icex Spain Export and Investment, Euromonitor International, Kantar and the National Markets and Competition Commission. (Source: FICE report)
FICE states that the sector remains strong, remaining one of the best-performing segments within the fashion industry. Production grew by 6.6 percent, employment rose by 4.7 percent, and sales climbed 12.1 percent, with exports again reaching a new high beyond 3 billion euros. (Source: FICE report)
Economy
The study, supported by FICE and funded by Bigcommerce, aims to provide data on the shoe industry’s development and to help assess its economic contribution. In an international context of rising production, demand and exports, retail shoe sales in Spain finished 2022 up 12.1 percent, according to Euromonitor International. The sector reached a positive contribution of up to 6 billion euros, doubling the growth rate of international retail sales, which rose 6.8 percent to 342.1 billion euros. (Source: Euromonitor/Kantar)
A Madrid footwear fair was a notable backdrop for this momentum. (Credit: Photography collection) (Source: Industry archives)
2 billion euros
Men’s shoes led the growth, rising 13.2 percent to reach 2,000 million euros. Retail sales of women’s footwear grew 12.1 percent to 3.2 billion euros, while children’s shoes increased 9.7 percent to 800 million euros. (Source: Kantar)
Kantar projects the value of the Spanish footwear market to expand by 6.9 percent in 2022 versus the prior year, while the fashion sector overall grows about 7.7 percent. Despite the overall rise, the footwear segment remains about 5.9 percent below peak market levels seen in 2019, before the pandemic. (Source: Kantar)
Sales increase
Domestic sales growth paralleled a new uplift in international markets. Spanish footwear exports rose 20.3 percent in 2022, reaching a historic high of 3,058 million euros. Growth continued in key markets including France, Italy, Germany and Portugal, while sales to China dropped by 38.4 percent. (Source: FICE/Kantar)
E-commerce contributed to the uplift as well. Online sales accounted for 27.8 percent of the industry’s turnover in Spain in 2022, up from 21.1 percent across the broader fashion sector. (Source: Kantar)
Exports rise across markets, with China as a notable exception
Fewer companies but more jobs
As of January 1, 2022, the number of Spanish shoe manufacturers stood at 2,975, a 2.2 percent decline from the previous year—the lowest since the INE series began in 2008. At the same time, the sector expanded the number of larger firms employing 250 to 1,000 workers, rising from one to four since 2013. (Source: INE/IEA)
Despite fewer companies, employment grew. By the end of 2022, 41,136 Social Security contributors were involved in leather and footwear production, up 4.7 percent year over year and up 18 percent over the prior two years combined. (Source: INE/Social Security)
While footwear exports strengthen the recovery, the sector faces challenges in other areas. In the past decade, self-employed workers have declined from 15 percent to 10.8 percent of the total Social Security base, and women accounted for 47.2 percent of sector employment by the end of 2022, up from under 40 percent in 2011. (Source: INE/Women in workforce)
More value creation
Production activity remained buoyant in recent years, though not yet at pre-pandemic levels. In 2022, approximately 82.9 million pairs were produced in Spain, down from the higher 2015–2016 peaks. In contrast, the industry’s total output value rose, with the gross value of produced footwear (excluding unfinished components) reaching 1,835 million euros, an 18.5 percent increase over the prior year and a 26.9 percent rise from 2020. The average factory price per pair reached 22.13 euros, a record high in the historical series. (Source: FICE/Industry data)
Prices for footwear have remained relatively controlled amid inflation. Spain’s 2021 CPI rose 6.5 percent, but shoes contributed modestly, with an increase of only 0.7 percent. In 2022, footwear prices rose 3.4 percent, well below the overall 5.7 percent rise in consumer prices. (Source: INE/Bureau of Statistics)
The recovery in footwear exports helped lift the sector to historic levels of 7,068 million euros
Industrial price dynamics followed a similar pattern. After a 35.2 percent spike in 2021, the 2022 IPRI showed a more modest 1 percent increase for footwear, well below the broader 14.9 percent rise in industrial prices. (Source: IPRI/Industry data)
During a presentation of the report, the FICE president noted that the footwear sector faces significant challenges while earning international recognition for its identity, quality and long-standing tradition. (Source: FICE statement)