Bigger-footed French buying more shoes

The average French foot has grown by three centimetres in the past 40 years, and the French now buy more shoes, mostly made in Asia, than any other nation barring the United States, a new survey said. The average shoe size for a French woman has risen from a seven in Britain and Australia, and a seven and half in the US, said the survey by the Centre Technique Cuir (Technical Leather Centre).
The French also now buy an average of 5.3 pairs of shoes a year, compared with 4.8 in the rest of Europe. The Americans remain the top buyers, treating themselves to 6.3 pairs of new shoes a year. Head of the CTC, Marc Flochier, said “some 78 percent of world shoe production takes place in Asia”, pleading for buyers to pay greater heed to the talents of the local shoemaker. “It takes some 20 pieces, at least 150 different operations and up to 130 minutes to make one single shoe,” said a statement from the centre. afp
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