Chinese shoes are stepping up their market share in the US, expecting to account for 71 per cent of US footwear imports by 2018.

Footwear is also imported from Indonesia and Vietnam, but only in small numbers.

Latest official figures show that China dominated US footwear imports with a 68.6 percentage share in 2013, according to the latest publication from Ken Research of India, Clothing & Footwear Retailing in China – Market Summary & Forecasts, which offers analysis of clothing and footwear retailing including leading players, distribution channels, trends, challenges and opportunities.

China’s economy is in transition phase from being driven by manufacturing to being driven by consumption, especially in footwear sector, says the report.

It also says China’s clothing market has a bright future with per capita consumption projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.2 per cent over the next five years.

However, the report lists challenges as the high cost of imported raw material plus the government’s environmental concerns.