Leatherite: More competition for a smaller pie
Published: 15th May 2024
Pretoria, Gauteng, SA – The leather crafting market has picked up, starting last October, but is still nowhere near as buoyant as before or immediately after covid, said Kevin Thompson, director of leather, trims and tools supplier Leatherite International.
“Most of last year was a bit tough,” he said. “You can see people are struggling a bit.
“Also, competition has increased, and the market is saturated to an extent. Not so much on the leather side, which is more difficult, but on the tools and trims side. There are any number of online sites offering that sort of product.
“We were fortunate to get a shipment of tools in early December before the harbours got clogged up.”
Tags: Leatherite, Kevin Thompson
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