Our newest Leatherbiz Market Intelligence newsletter went live on April 9, this time offering some perspective on what leather demand will look like in different market segments over the coming months. By Leatherbiz.

The report hails the footwear sector as the one that is showing “the greatest stability” in terms of demand for leather. It also argues that a trend of brands substituting leather “to ride the vegan wave” seems to have slowed or halted.

Something similar is true of the automotive sector, but the price-pressures that car brands are facing could have an impact, especially at the more economic end of the market.

In furniture, meanwhile, there have been repeated reports of good business and high activity in furniture leather production in China in spite of economic pressures in the property sector there and slowing seasonal demand in export furniture markets.

Finally, for leathergoods and luxury products, questions remain over unsold stock and what brands can do with those unsold products. Selling them at a discount would be unthinkable in this market but so, surely, would be destroying them. One suggestion for the future is that some brands may seek to introduce entry-level, cheaper ranges to stimulate growth.