Apparel and Footwear Specialist Retailers in Croatia

PROSPECTS

Apparel and footwear traditionally popular among Croatian consumers

Croatian consumers are big buyers of apparel and footwear, particularly apparel. In the attention they give to their external appearance, they are somewhat like their Western neighbours in Italy.

Maturity reached for third biggest non-grocery category

Decades ago hordes of Croatians would undertake pilgrimages to Western European countries (mostly to Trieste in Italy) to stock up on fancy clothing and shoes. At the same time, most of the locally produced brands were not that bad quality wise, but were simply lacking that brand tag that distinguishes them from other brands.

Online presence a must

Buyers of apparel and footwear are particularly keen on seeing the goods, feeling them and trying them on so as to find the perfect fit. It is risky to rely on written information about a garment because there is no unified measurements system or standardised sizes.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Fragmentation high, but giving way to consolidation

Due to the many competitors present in the category, there is a fairly high level of fragmentation. Like fragrances in beauty and personal care, the number of brands is so vast that selling all of them leads to a dissipation of focus from the major brands.

Not many domestic players

The avalanche of popular global brands and their decision to set up their own shops in Croatia has caught the formerly prevailing local retail operatives unprepared. Losing sales fast, they have had to find a way to survive under different, new circumstances.

Once impressive local textile complex severely reduced

Once a strong textile producing country, Croatia has managed to lose almost all of its clothing and shoe factories. Boring and uninventive brands did not make an effort to reinvent themselves and become more attractive to consumers, thus they were swept away by exciting international brands.

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