The casual footwear sales continued to accelerate in 2018, gaining 4.2% worldwide to $13,325 million from $12,793 million against a 3.6% improvement in 2017, led by outsized results from a few key vendors. The U.S. market accounted for a majority of the increase, up 4.5% to $5,591 million from $5,351 million, while International sales, which are predominantly European in this segment, increased 3.9% to $7,734 million from $7,442 million. In past years, the U.S. has typically lagged the International market in casual footwear.

The rise in popularity of athleisure styles has in many cases taken share from the casual shoe brands, ... Log in to view full article.