These are the 51 Most Relevant European B2C Marketplaces for FASHION & SHOES In 2024
The current Marketplace Quadrant Fashion & Shoes reflects a challenging year in the fashion and shoes category, with numerous platforms being cut. It is crucial to evaluate existing marketplaces and identify future expansion opportunities. Starting with a country where a marketplace is already onboarded (e.g., Zalando in Germany) can provide valuable insights before expanding to new marketplaces in that country (e.g., La Redoute in France).
The Most Important Marketplaces
The Big Four:
- Amazon: Dominates especially for Basics and NOS.
- Zalando: Continues to lead in European fashion.
- ABOUT YOU: Asserts its presence across the continent.
The fourth major player varies by country, known as “local heroes”:
- Germany: Breuninger or OTTO.
- Netherlands: wehkamp or bol.
- Poland: MODIVO SA or Allegro.
- France: Galeries Lafayette or La Redoute.
The choice of the local hero depends on the target group and specific market needs. Check our country quadrants for more details on specific local markets!
Market Changes and Developments
New Entrants: Fashion Days Group Eastern Europe has made a notable entry into the quadrant in late 2023. ELLOS GROUP, a Scandinavian favorite focusing on women’s fashion, sports, beauty, and home, predominantly catering to the Swedish market, has also joined. Additionally, Printemps, a cherished French marketplace, has entered the scene.
Market Instabilities: The fashion landscape is experiencing instability for FARFETCH, THE KADEWE GROUP GmbH, and GLOBUS, with bankruptcy murmurs affecting these entities.
Exits from the Quadrant: Görtz Holding GmbH has disbanded the marketplace, leading to its departure from the quadrant. Katchin has disappeared, indicated by a non-functional website, and MYTOYS GROUP and mirapodo have exited as well. GALERIA Karstadt Kaufhof GmbH is also no longer included; the marketplace still exists but at the moment we aren’t sure about its relevance. So consider this a pending candidate.
Expansion and Retrenchment: Trendyol Group’s German team has left, resulting in reduced expansion efforts in Germany. Meanwhile, YOOX is retrenching, returning to its luxury roots with selective discounts after a period of over-extension.
Conclusion
The fashion industry had a tough year, and it shows in this year’s Marketplace Quadrant Fashion & Shoes. However, while many participants are struggling, promising new marketplace entries have made the fashion landscape interesting. Internationalisation is even more relevant than last year. Keep an eye out for CEE marketplaces and platforms specialising in niches such as luxury goods.