Very slow first half, but confidence up as orders to hold stock come in

Durban, SA – Our turnover for the first 4 months is definitely down – by as much as 20%, and we just hope and pray that it will pick up.

Some of our customers have work, but the independents are very quiet and it seems many of the chains aren’t placing orders at the moment either. Some of the chains are still buying big quantities, and I get the impression they are telling their suppliers that they have to source as many of their components locally as possible. My impression is that a lot of businesses, not just in footwear and clothing, are just meeting their overheads and paying their staff, and not much else.

We’re a trim manufacturer, and imports of trims do affect us, but we’ve got out of the very basic trims – we mainly deal with manufacturers who want logos or brand names on their trims.

The local footwear industry is always busier in the second half of the year, and the enquiries have started picking up. Several of our customers, who have been ordering at the last minute, have now told us to keep stocks of certain lines. That’s done a lot to improve our confidence. – [+27 (0)31 465 0023, toplinemfs@telkomsa.net]