FDRA Shoe Trade & Logistics Strategy Summit

Attendees, exhibitors & solutions

Who this event is for

New this edition

• 1

  Photo galleries from the 2024 and 2025 editions are published on the organiser site (shoesupplychain.com/2024-photos and /2025-photos), confirming the summit ran in those prior years in Portland.

Industry trends

Key trends shaping this market and its wider industry.

Market news

Latest updates from across the market.

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Frequently asked

Glossary

1

FDRA

Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, the US footwear trade association that owns and hosts the Shoe Trade & Logistics Strategy Summit. FDRA represents footwear brands, retailers, and distributors on trade, tariff, and sourcing policy.

2

Footwear supply chain

The end-to-end flow of a shoe from raw materials (leather, synthetics, textiles, soles, laces, packaging) through factory production, ocean or air freight, customs clearance, and distribution into retail and e-commerce channels. At this summit the term covers both the trade and the logistics leg of that flow.

3

Trade compliance

The rules-based work of classifying goods, declaring value, and paying duties so footwear imports clear customs legally. Trade compliance teams own HTS classification, country-of-origin rules, and audit defence.

4

HTS code

Harmonized Tariff Schedule code, the numeric classification that sets the duty rate on each imported product. Footwear HTS lines are highly specific by upper material, outer sole material, and construction, so a wrong code changes landed cost.

5

Landed cost

The full delivered cost of a pair of shoes: factory price plus freight, insurance, duty, brokerage, and inland transport. Buyers at the summit compare landed cost, not just FOB price, when choosing sourcing countries and routes.

6

Incoterms

Standard international commercial terms (FOB, FCA, CIF, DDP and others) that define who arranges and pays for freight, insurance, and customs at each stage. Footwear sourcing teams negotiate these terms with factories and forwarders.

7

3PL

Third-party logistics provider: an outsourced partner that runs warehousing, pick and pack, and distribution for a footwear brand or retailer. 3PLs at the summit discuss DC capacity, peak-season labour, and returns handling.

8

Freight forwarder

An intermediary that books ocean, air, and rail capacity, prepares export documentation, and coordinates door-to-door moves. Forwarders compete at the summit on footwear-specific transit reliability and rate stability.

9

Customs broker

A licensed agent that files import entries and clears shipments with US Customs and Border Protection on behalf of a footwear importer. Brokers advise on valuation, duty programmes, and post-entry corrections.

10

Duty drawback

A US programme that refunds duties paid on imported goods that are later re-exported. Footwear importers use drawback to recover cost on returned, rejected, or re-exported inventory.

11

Nearshoring

Moving sourcing or assembly closer to the end market, for footwear commonly toward Mexico, Central America, or the Caribbean Basin, to shorten lead times and reduce tariff and freight exposure.

12

TEU

Twenty-foot equivalent unit, the standard measure of ocean container capacity. Footwear teams use TEU and container fill rate to judge whether a shipment is paying for empty space.

13

Lead time

The elapsed time from purchase order to goods received at the DC, including production, transit, customs, and inland drayage. Shorter lead times let footwear brands react to trend shifts and cut markdown risk.

14

Last-mile delivery

The final leg from a distribution centre or store to the consumer, the most expensive segment of e-commerce fulfilment. Footwear retailers at the summit focus on returns cost and delivery speed in this leg.