According to a new report, ‘Footwear: A Global Strategic Business Report’, released by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., the worldwide footwear market is projected to reach 13.9 billion pairs corresponding to a value of $192.4 billion by 2010. The USA is set to continue to lead global consumption, with about a third of each dollar spent on footwear coming from the region. However, Europe, which is currently one of the largest markets in terms of value, is likely to be overshadowed by the USA and the ever-burgeoning Asian region, in years to come.

The fashion and performance-driven market in the USA is likely to witness the strongest growth in terms of value sales, whilst Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) is projected to be the fastest growing region overall, exhibiting a compounded annual growth rate of 4.8% in the period spanning 2001-2010.

The report looks at the principal tools of competition within the industry which include product design, quality, product performance, price, brand image, promotion, marketing, and customer service as well as the highly charged environment in terms of competition. The study also considers trends and price dynamics and provides analyses of the leading manufacturers.