Best world shoe
In 2020, Bangladesh was the eighth largest footwear production and ninth-largest consumer market with 366 million pairs, according to the World Footwear 2021 Yearbook. Bangladeshi footwear producers are progressively gaining traction in global markets. Furthermore, Bangladesh ranked 16th in worldwide footwear exports in 2020, up from 18th the previous year.
The worldwide footwear industry was valued at $365.5 billion in 2020 and is predicted to expand at a 4% annual pace to $430 billion by 2031. Bangladesh manufactured 423 million pairs of shoes and exported 72 million pairs in 2020. The growing leather industry also puts a positive impact on the local footwear business. In the first seven months of the current fiscal year, leather exports increased by roughly 30%. And leather footwear was its main contributing category, accounting for 64.4% of total segment exports, with a worldwide value of $112.58 million in the period, exceeding the objective established for the time by 6.17%. Thus, the vast supply of high-quality leather and rich history of shoemaking will undoubtedly make Bangladesh a worldwide choice for shoe sourcing in the future years.
When it comes to holding the top position in Bangladesh’s footwear businesses, surely takes the cake. Founded in 1894, Bata owns about 6,000 retail stores and more than 100,000 dealers and franchisees in over 70 countries. Bata started its journey in Bangladesh in 1962, with a total of 226 retail outlets in 63 districts of the country.
Bata has two manufacturing factories at Tongi and Dhamrai in Dhaka, where every year 25 to 30 million pairs of shoes are produced. Now, Bata is selling multiple brands of shoes in Bangladesh. Among them are Bata, Ambassador, B-First, Ballerina, BubbleGummers, Comfit, Insolia, Marie Claire, North Star, Pata Pata, Power, Red Label, and Weinbrenner.
Syed Manzur Elahi who pioneered the rise of Bangladesh’s footwear industry founded in 1990. Apex Footwear Limited is a Bangladesh-based producer and supplier of leather footwear to shoe stores in Western Europe, North America, and Japan.
Apex Footwear is currently one of the largest shoemakers in South Asia, accounting for around 15% of Bangladesh’s leather footwear exports. Apex Footwear made Tk 7.90 crore in profits in the first nine months of FY22, up from Tk 5.26 crore the previous year. They were able to increase profitability owing to decreasing raw material costs. With more than 250 retail shops, 275 franchisees, and 150 wholesalers across Bangladesh, Apex Footwear Limited is the country’s largest footwear retailer. Apex Footwear, which accounts for 15% of the country’s footwear exports and is also the largest shoemaker in the subcontinent, dominates the local market with over 3 million pairs produced each year