ABSTRACT
This chapter shows the first case study on the footwear industry. Firstly, it briefly introduces the history and technical features of the industry. Secondly, it displays its global competition by analysing industrial concentration and competition factors. Thirdly, it discusses the development history, current situation and future trends of China’s and Wenzhou’s footwear industry. Fourthly, it concentrates on three leading firms of both large and small scale, namely the Juyi Group, Zhejiang Aokang Shoes Limited and Menglani Shoes Limited, to analyse their different approaches to industrial upgrade and reveal their development challenges in detail. Finally, it summarises the development challenges for Chinese private manufacturing firms in the footwear industry in global competition.
