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Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling in Germany Industry Data and Analysis
Industry sales in the wholesale clothing and footwear sector recorded an average annual decline of 3.5% between 2021 and 2026. This negative development resulted from several structural shifts that weakened the competitive position of traditional wholesalers in the long term. Advancing digitalisation forced wholesalers to make significant investments in B2B platforms, digital inventory solutions and warehouse management systems in order to meet the changing requirements of their retail customers. At the same time, competition intensified from specialised online platforms and Asian direct suppliers, who circumvented traditional distribution channels with aggressive pricing strategies. Nearshoring strategies led to shorter delivery times and duty-free imports from countries such as Turkey and Morocco, but resulted in higher purchase prices and required investment in local quality assurance teams. Although digitalisation increased operational efficiency, it did not lead to improved profit margins. This was due to the high investment costs and rising shipping and returns costs in e-commerce. Separate collection of used textiles has been mandatory in the European Union since January 2025. This requires wholesalers to realign their procurement strategies in order to make greater use of recycled fibres.
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What's included in this industry analysis
IBISWorld's research coverage on the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany includes market sizing, forecasting, data and analysis from 2016-2031. The most recent publication was released January 2026.
About this industry
What's this industry report about?
The Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany operates under the WZ industry code G46.42DE. This sector includes the wholesale of all types of clothing and shoes. This also includes workwear and clothing accessories such as belts, gloves and ties as well as furs, umbrellas and pieces. However, the wholesale trade in leather goods and special sports shoes such as ski boots is not part of the industry. Related terms covered in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany include fast fashion, fair fashion, verticalisation and influencer.
What's included in this industry?
Products and services covered in Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany include Outerwear, Shoes and Laundry.
What companies are included in this industry?
Companies covered in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany include Adidas AG and Bestseller Textilhandels GmbH.
Performance
What's included in the Performance chapter?
The Performance chapter covers detailed analysis, datasets, detailed current performance, sources of volatility and an outlook with forecasts for the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany.
Questions answered in this chapter include what's driving current industry performance, what influences industry volatility, how do successful businesses overcome volatility, what's driving the industry outlook. This analysis is supported with data and statistics on industry revenues, costs, profits, businesses and employees.
Products & Markets
What's included in the Products and Markets chapter?
The Products and Markets chapter covers detailed products and service segmentation and analysis of major markets for the for the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany.
Questions answered in this chapter include how are the industry's products and services performing, what are innovations in industry products and services, what products or services do successful businesses offer and what's influencing demand from the industry's markets. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by product and service segmentation and major markets.
Geographic Breakdown
What's included in the Geographic Breakdown chapter?
The Geographic Breakdown chapter covers detailed analysis and datasets on regional performance of the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany.
Questions answered in this chapter include where are industry businesses located and how do businesses use location to their advantage. This includes data and statistics on industry revenues by location.
Competitive Forces
What's included in the Competitive Forces chapter?
The Competitive Forces chapter covers the concentration, barriers to entry and supplier and buyer profiles in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany. This includes data and statistics on industry market share concentration, barriers to entry, substitute products and buyer & supplier power.
Questions answered in this chapter include what impacts the industry's market share concentration, how do successful businesses handle concentration, what challenges do potential industry entrants face, how can potential entrants overcome barriers to entry, what are substitutes for industry services, how do successful businesses compete with substitutes and what power do buyers and suppliers have over the industry and how do successful businesses manage buyer & supplier power.
Companies
What's included in the Companies chapter?
The Companies chapter covers Key Takeaways, Market Share and Companies in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany. This includes data and analysis on companies operating in the industry that hold a market share greater than 5%.
Questions answered in this chapter include what companies have a meaningful market share and how each company is performing.
External Environment
What's included in the External Environment chapter?
The External Environment chapter covers Key Takeaways, External Drivers, Regulation & Policy and Assistance in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany. This includes data and statistics on factors impacting industry revenue such as economic indicators, regulation, policy and assistance programs.
Questions answered in this chapter include what demographic and macroeconomic factors impact the industry, what regulations impact the industry, what assistance is available to this industry.
Financial Benchmarks
What's included in the Financial Benchmarks chapter?
The Financial Benchmarks chapter covers Key Takeaways, Cost Structure, Financial Ratios, Valuation Multiples and Key Ratios in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany. This includes financial data and statistics on industry performance including key cost inputs, profitability, key financial ratios and enterprise value multiples.
Questions answered in this chapter include what trends impact industry costs and how financial ratios have changed overtime.
Industry Data
What's included in the Industry Data chapter?
The Industry Data chapter includes 10 years of historical data with 5 years of forecast data covering statistics like revenue, industry value add, establishments, enterprises, employment and wages in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the market size of the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany in 2026?
The market size of the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany is €24.4bn in 2026.
How many businesses are there in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany in 2026?
There are 2,004 businesses in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany, which has declined at a CAGR of 5.6 % between 2021 and 2026.
How may import tariffs affect the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany?
The Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany is unlikely to be materially impacted by import tariffs with imports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
How may export tariffs affect the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany?
The Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany is unlikely to be materially impacted by export tariffs with exports accounting for a low share of industry revenue.
Has the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany grown or declined over the past 5 years?
The market size of the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany has been declining at a CAGR of 3.5 % between 2021 and 2026.
What is the forecast growth of the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany over the next 5 years?
Over the next five years, the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany is expected to decline.
What are the biggest companies in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany?
The biggest companies operating in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany are Adidas AG and Bestseller Textilhandels GmbH
What does the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany include?
Outerwear and Shoes are part of the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany.
Which companies have the highest market share in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany?
The company holding the most market share in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany is Adidas AG.
How competitive is the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany?
The level of competition is high and increasing in the Clothing & Footwear Wholesaling industry in Germany.
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