Australian shoe retailer Famous Footwear is set to permanently shut down all its stores after more than 25 years.

In an Instagram post, Famous Footwear stated: “It’s with sadness we announce the end of our journey.”

The retailer will continue accepting online orders, vouchers and credit until 31 December 2025. Its physical outlets will close in early 2026.

The company added: “We’ve loved helping you find your famous fit for more than 25 years. We’re truly grateful for the loyalty and support from our community.”

Famous Footwear sells women’s shoes at 17 retail locations across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, and online, employing more than 200 people.

The latest announcement continues a series of recent collapses across the Australian footwear sector, including that of Wittner, which went into administration.

In July 2025, the administrators sold it to The Shoe Group, with 170 employees retained.

In early October 2025, Nike franchise group AF-1 closed seven stores across Sydney after losing its licence, which led to 113 layoffs.

Earlier in the year, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released data on the country's retail industry.

Seasonally adjusted data indicated a dip in retail turnover by 0.1% for April 2025. The downturn followed growth of 0.3% in March and 0.2% in February.

The retail landscape showed varying performance across sectors. There were significant declines in clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing, which fell 2.5%. Department stores reported a 2.5% decrease in turnover.