Sports Shoes Ride Popularity of Running and Growing Demand for Footwear

Thanks to a booming sports lifestyle market beginning at the start of the 21st century, demand for sports shoes in Japan recovered, with sales in 2002 reaching 42 million pairs. However, from 2006 onward, there were no particularly popular categories or hit models. Amidst excess inventory and a slack market, sports shoes sales dropped to 37 million pairs in 2008…