Footwear News’ 80th anniversary in 2025 saw a host of deal activity in the shoe space, including the biggest footwear buyout in the industry’s history. While a few financial buyers were looking around for a deal, many were more focused on selling stakes in portfolio companies that hit the end of their holding periods. That meant that with private equity firms’ attention focused elsewhere, strategic buyers had less competition for the shoe firms that came up for sale in 2025. More from WWD These are the ...