Manufacturer-buyer event: Results still to be tallied, but broad enthusiasm for more

The 2-day Retail Buyer Engagement & Manufacturer Onboarding Programme on 01 and 02 July was part of an effort to kickstart the R-CTFL Masterplan – which, from a footwear perspective at least, has appeared stalled.

It was sponsored by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and implemented through the R-CTFL Masterplan Footwear Task Team by the Southern African Footwear & Leather Industries Association (SAFLIA), the SA Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC), and the Department of Trade, Industry & Competition (DTIC).

Its objectives were to:

• Improve supplier readiness for retail onboarding.
• Facilitate direct retailer-manufacturer connections.
• Enhance domestic value chains through strategic collaboration.
• Support the R-CTFL Masterplan’s vision for a competitive, resilient and inclusive footwear industry.

It started with “a speed-dating style B2B engagement” – actually a small trade show with around a dozen exhibitors and perhaps half as many retail chains – followed by a panel discussion, and on the second day, a series of factory visits.

A couple of aspects were striking:

• There were lots and lots of sneakers on show – styling not commonly associated with local manufacturing.
• Enthusiasm and optimism among the exhibitors, curiosity and interest among the visitors.

The footwear manufacturing industry has been in decline over a long period – if not just in pairs, then in component infrastructure, skills and product diversity. The current Masterplan is not the first one, but like its predecessor, it doesn’t appear to have delivered much.

This programme differed from other initiatives in bringing together some manufacturers and some chains and a lot of enthusiasm. Hopefully, it will be followed by similar initiatives. At a guess, there will be relatively minor business done on the strength of it. But, to borrow from

Winston Churchill, speaking after the Battle of Britain: “Now this is not the end (of the manufacturing industry’s troubles). It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”