Footwear market in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts
The United Kingdom boasts one of the largest footwear markets in the world, ahead of other high-revenue markets such as Brazil, Japan, and Germany. Consumer spending on footwear, which had consistently grown up until 2019, before dipping in 2020, reached new heights in 2024. In that year, UK households spent approximately 13.5 billion British pounds on footwear, 700 million pounds more than the previous high, achieved in 2023.
Some of the most popular footwear fashion brands in the UK include Dr. Martens, Hunter Boots, and Clarks. The iconic British brand Dr. Martens, also active in markets outside the UK, has seen its worldwide sales skyrocket to over one billion British pounds in the financial year 2023, well over double the revenue from the financial year 2019. In 2025, the sales fell slightly to around 790 British pounds. The brand was acquired by the London-headquartered European investment company Permira in 2014.
International trade
The UK footwear trade is characterized more by imports than exports. In 2024, the import value of footwear from countries outside the EU amounted to roughly 2.2 billion British pounds. This marked the fourth year in a row that imports from outside the EU were worth more than footwear imports from within the EU. The EU does, however, remain the the leading destination for UK footwear exports, although the value has fallen dramatically since 2020, by nearly one billion pounds.Retail & brands
For UK footwear retail, 2024 showed significant growth, both in terms of sales value, with a decrease of 0.4 percent, and quantity bought, which fell by almost one percent. The index number of footwear sales per week however, remained consistently above the baseline level of 100 for the third consecutive year in 2024, reaching 119.7.Some of the most popular footwear fashion brands in the UK include Dr. Martens, Hunter Boots, and Clarks. The iconic British brand Dr. Martens, also active in markets outside the UK, has seen its worldwide sales skyrocket to over one billion British pounds in the financial year 2023, well over double the revenue from the financial year 2019. In 2025, the sales fell slightly to around 790 British pounds. The brand was acquired by the London-headquartered European investment company Permira in 2014.
