U.S. imports of sneakers and other shoes may be having a renaissance. Imports in the first quarter were 2.7% lower than a year earlier Panjiva data shows. However, that may reflect the bankruptcy of Payless Shoesource, as outlined in Panjiva research of April 5. Imports in March increased 14.2% on a year earlier, presumably representing catch-up, while seaborne shipments climbed another 14.3%. The disruption coincided with the seasonal peak but followed a weak performance in 2016.

Chart segments U.S. footwear imports by country of origin. Data for most recent month based on seaborne imports Source: Panjiva

Among key brands in the sports segment Adidas and Skecher’s have been the best performing, with a 81.0% and 47.8% increase in imports respectively in the three months to April 30 on a year earlier. Nike may be undergoing a turnaround, with imports rising 20.0% in April even though over the past three months in total they were 14.4% lower. Among the second tier brands both Under Armour (18.5% lower) and Vans (part of VF Corp) have struggled.

Chart segments U.S. seaborne imports of footwear by consignee name Source: Panjiva

Panjiva analysis of 900 consignee-country pairs shows most of the branded shoe importers are highly reliant on a few suppliers. Of the top 10 brands, 81.5% of shipments came from the top three countries, with seven relying on Vietnam for a quarter or more of supplies and four on China by a similar degree. Fila and Steve Madden were the most reliant on a single country (China) while Under Armour and Puma were the most diversified.

Chart segments U.S. seaborne imports of footwear by consignee name and country of origin Source: Panjiva