One expect has predicted that the trend for shoes that can help to tone up the body – such as Skechers Shape-Ups – could develop into a million-dollar industry.

Speaking to Advertising Age, Matt Powell, a footwear analyst with SportsOneSource, estimates that the emergence of footwear such as Shape-Ups and Reeboks EasyTone trainers will mean the sector becomes a “really big deal”.

He thinks that the industry could make as much as $100 million (£61 million) in retail sales this year, although this is still only a small proportion of the $5 billion running shoes currently generate.

Mr Powell said: “People are starting to talk about it the way they talked about aerobics back in the mid-80s.”

He continued: “This could revive the walking category, which has been dormant for ten years.”

Skechers Shape-Ups were first launched last month and the footwear manufacturer claims that the trainers help to recreate the feeling of walking on soft ground.

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