Maria Jaen. Photo: www.mariajaen.com
Spain sees sharp contraction in footwear sector
Over the past five years, the number of footwear and footwear component manufacturers in Spain has decreased by 1149 companies, according to the Spanish Association of Footwear Component Companies (AEC). Between 2020 and 2025, the Spanish footwear industry lost more than a third of its supply chain companies.
The number of companies decreased from 3280 to 2131. In 2025 alone, 195 companies closed.
The trend of company downsizing continued into 2026, triggered by the crisis at Analco (a manufacturer of soles, insoles, and other components) and the women's footwear brand María Jaén. The associations AEC and FICE (the Spanish Federation of the Footwear Industry) have already met with the government to request support for the sector.
According to the AEC itself, as reported by El Economista, the Spanish footwear supply chain is going through a “critical phase of adaptation and restructuring, characterized by unstable demand, unsustainable pressure on costs (raw materials, energy, labor, financing, etc.), lack of generational change and an unprecedented loss of competitiveness.”
The AEC argues that labor costs are crucial to competitiveness in this sector. According to 2023 data, the hourly rate in Spain was €15,38, compared to €9,94 in Portugal and significantly higher than its Asian competitors.
Over the past five years, the number of footwear and footwear component manufacturers in Spain has decreased by 1149 companies. This analysis was presented by the Spanish Association…
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