title: “German Footwear Sales Remain Subdued in First Half of 2026 as Costs and Trade Tensions Bite” seo_description: “German footwear manufacturers saw sales fall 2.4% in the first half of 2026, with weaker domestic demand, declining employment and rising import pressure from Asia weighing on the sector.” seo_tags: [“German footwear”, “HDS/L”, “footwear exports”, “footwear imports”, “Germany”, “EU Waste Framework Directive”] seo_slug: “german-footwear-sales-subdued-first-half-2026” source_url: “https://www.worldfootwear.com/news/german-footwear-sales-remain-subdued-in-the-first-half/11774.html”

German Footwear Sales Remain Subdued in First Half of 2026 as Costs and Trade Tensions Bite

Germany’s footwear industry closed the first half of 2026 on a weak note, with manufacturers reporting lower sales, fewer jobs and persistent pressure from cheaper imports at a moment when the broader economy is offering little relief. Figures released by the Federal Association of the German Footwear and Leather Goods Industry (HDS/L) paint a picture of a sector still searching for momentum after several difficult years.

According to HDS/L, sales by German footwear manufacturers decreased by 2.4% year-on-year between January and June, totalling 1.14 billion euros. Domestic sales were the soft spot, declining by 2.8% to 903 million euros, while foreign sales proved more resilient, slipping just 0.8% to around 242 million euros. Employment also contracted: among footwear companies with 50 or more employees, the workforce fell by 3% to 8,943, compared with more than 9,200 a year earlier. Including smaller firms, HDS/L estimates roughly 15,500 people are employed in the German footwear industry.

Price pressure remained a defining feature of the market. Producer prices for footwear rose by 1.5% year-on-year in the first half, while consumer prices for shoes increased by 1.2% — a narrow gap that leaves little room for margin expansion when input and labour costs are climbing.

On the trade front, Germany exported 191.2 million pairs of shoes worth 5.3 billion euros in the first six months, a 0.4% decline in volume and a 0.7% decline in value versus the prior year. Leather-upper footwear was hit hardest, with exports down 8% to 54.1 million pairs. Destination patterns were mixed: Poland held its position as the largest buyer, with volumes up 7.4% to 42.5 million pairs, but shipments to France, Italy and Spain all fell. The United States moved against the trend, with exports to the US rising 22.6% to 11.9 million pairs.

Imports fell more sharply than exports. Germany brought in 366 million pairs in the first half, 6.8% fewer than a year earlier, while the value dropped 9.8% to 6.1 billion euros. China remained the dominant supplier at 42.4% of imported pairs, though volumes from China slipped 3.5% to 155.2 million pairs. Vietnam fell 13% and Indonesia 7.1%, while India rose 12.8% and Myanmar 7.9%. Among European partners, Portugal bucked the trend with a 2.6% increase to 7.7 million pairs, whereas Italy dropped 17.5% and Spain 14.4%.

Looking ahead, HDS/L expects conditions to remain challenging. “Subdued consumer spending, high-cost structures, geopolitical tensions and ongoing trade conflicts continue to weigh on manufacturers and brands,” the association noted, adding that rising regulatory requirements are adding to the burden. A particular concern is Germany’s planned implementation of the revised EU Waste Framework Directive, which is expected to introduce an extended producer responsibility scheme for textiles and footwear — giving manufacturers and brands new financial and organisational obligations for collecting and managing used products.

HDS/L argues that the industry supports greater circularity but is calling for harmonised implementation that avoids layering additional bureaucracy on top of an already strained cost base. For now, the message from the first half is sobering: the German footwear sector is stabilising at a lower level rather than recovering, and the second half offers few obvious catalysts for a rebound.

Source: World Footwear (worldfootwear.com), reporting on HDS/L figures.