NPD Group found that U.S. retail sales of performance footwear were up 12% in the fourth quarter to $1.8 billion, compared to $1.6 billion in Q4 ’19, outperforming leisure footwear, which inched up 2% to $5.6 billion, and fashion footwear, which was down 4% from pre-pandemic levels to $4.5 billion. Within the performance category, men’s increased 9% on a two year stack to $931.9 million in Q4, women’s jumped 23% to $619.2 million and children’s improved 1% to $267.5 million. Running continued to drive performance gains, with growth from On, Hoka, Puma, and Reebok. The leisure category, which includes casual ... Log in to view full article.