Footwear Insight

12 • Footwear Insight ~ July/August 2019 footwearinsight.com THE FOOTWEAR EYE T he sneaker scene in NYC recently got a new hot spot. In late May, Scandinavian-based retailer Sneakersnstuff unveiled a 2,000 sq. ft. space inside its NYC store called the SNS Bar. Owned and run by Sneakersnstuff, the bar was designed collab- oratively by Sneakersnstuff and Jenny Askenfors of Bofink Design. The SNS Bar features a drink menu and also offers beer and some light food and snacks. In the evening, the SNS Bar hosts resident DJs, events and activities. The purpose of the SNS Bar is to unite customers, community and friends of the brand. It is also availa- bie for private events. Sneakersnstuff was founded in 1999 by Erik Fagerlind and Peter Jansson. The duo have grown the business in the sneaker space transitioning from a sneaker retailer in Sweden into a global retail company. The avid sneaker collectors initially launched a webstore, sneakersnstuff.com, in May 1999. Two decades later, Sneakersnstuff has locations in in Stockholm, London, Berlin, Paris and New York City. l Sneakersntuff Raises the Bar RETAIL REPORT The SNS Bar is located at 63 Gansevoort Street in Manhattan's Meatpacking District. T he footwear marketplace is always changing, but there's opportunity for brands and retailers to gain share. At last month's Outdoor Retailer show, analyst Matt Powell from NPD Group spoke about the state of retail and the growth of athleisure. So straight from the expert, here are the facts and figures that retailers need to know: • Year to date, footwear sales in the U.S. are almost $6.5 billion. • Direct-to-consumer sales in footwear have grown significantly since 2015, and were up 25 percent in 2018 over the year prior. DTC sales made up 19 percent of all footwear sales in 2018 — but represented 46 percent of sales gains made that year. • No performance category has trended positively in the past four years. It's the first period since the 1970s that no performance category is growing, what Powell calls a "fundamental shift" in the marketplace. "We're still in an athleisure place and I don't see that going away." • Running inspired looks saw 21.1 percent growth last year, and should continue to show strength this year. But it's not just standard reissues that consumers are looking for, he said: "Retro silhouettes and looks need to be refreshed, and the story [of the model] needs to be told." • Consumers are increasingly looking to smaller, more niche brands. "Small is the new big. People want something different," Powell said. This has been an opportunity for heritage players like Fila and per- formance labels like On Running, and will continue to be critical. l Need to Know: Retail Takeaways from NPD TRENDS

• Cover