
BBF Safety Group sales manager Ndlela Mazibuko...Exporting an array products to much of the world.
PPE budgets stretched, but sales up
Published: 19th May 2021
Q&A with Ndlela Mazibuko, BBF Safety Group sales manager
How well has the safety footwear market held up over the past 18 months? Are there any noticeable changes in the quantities your customers are buying, in the price points that they're buying, or in the end customers that they're supplying? (e.g. is mining down but some other sectors are up?)
There is no doubt that COVID has impacted the performance of the safety footwear market. There has been a noticeable move towards stretching PPE budgets to accommodate for additional PPE requirements and as a result we have seen a move towards lower priced goods and an increase in demand for gumboots. In saying that, the strength of the American dollar as well as the landing on new export clients assisted us in exports sales last year allowing for a substantial growth in sales in both leather and gumboots.
Are you exporting safety footwear? If so, where to, and to what sort of end customers
The BBF Exports Division currently exports our vast array of PPE products to 18 markets across the African continent, the Middle East, SEA, the Americas and Australasia.
Our footprint in the various markets has been built on the back of a loyal and dedicated network of distributors who represent our basket of goods within a host of industries such as mining, agriculture, general industry and construction to name but a few.
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