Publisher of leading trade magazines for the Footwear, Leather-goods, Leather & PPE industries

Winter was fair, wait-and-see for summer

Published: 14th Aug 2023

Author: Brett Pengelly; Trailmix Trading

Durban, KZN, SA –I think most businesses had quite a good winter. Boots are being heavily discounted now, but that’s the end of season and everyone is clearing the last of their stock in preparation for summer. However, summer is proving slow. Retailers are taking a wait-and-see attitude, not wanting to commit too far forward, waiting to see how the rest of the year unfolds.

Overall, I’d say everyone is ticking along, but it’s very tough. There are definitely no fireworks out there. Inflation is still sticky, load shedding is an ongoing problem. It’s another year to hang in there.

We’re carrying stock, which is gold at the moment, and we’ve placed orders going forward.

Despite the exchange rate, I don’t see it as a viable option to deal with local manufacturers. Most chains and mini chains are dealing with them directly anyway and don't need to go through a wholesaler.

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