A Special Background Report On Trends in Industry And Finance
WALKING SHOES are strong sellers, although the category is tough to define.</br></br>The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, North Palm Beach, Fla., says sales of walking shoes rose 1.3% in 1998, while overall sales of athletic footwear fell nearly 8%. The trade group adds that walking remains popular as a fitness activity. "But it's hard to say just what shoes people are buying to walk in," says Mike May, a spokesman for the group. Choices range from "white" athletic shoes to dressier "brown" specialty shoes. Retailers note that the sales trend, while not new, is accelerating, and manufacturers are adding fashion brands. Travelers who want a cozy, crossover shoe for trips are a factor, they say.</br></br>New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. in Boston reports a "huge surge" in walking-shoe sales in the first quarter -- up 55% from a year earlier. Adele Rubinstein, manager of a Footprints Footwear store in Royal Oaks, Mich., says sales are brisk at the shop, which specializes in brands such as Mephisto, Rockport and Birkenstock. In Seattle, Nordstrom says the chain has been building its walking-shoe stock since this past fall.</br></br>DKNY plans to introduce a Comfort line this fall that includes, among other features, "antibacterial linings."</br></br>A PEACHY CROP in Georgia spells good news for farmers there.