Footwear Industry Articles

East London, E. Cape, SA – An old boy of De La Salle, he always loved retail, from being a manager at OK Bazaars, to a self-made businessman.His first shop was Glen’s Stores in Alice.After settling in Gonubie, he opened Glens’ Shoes in 1987, which he ran successfully for 35 years until retiring in 2022.An old school gent ...more

Pinetown, KZN, SA – The youngest of 4 siblings, Leo’s presence was undeniable, shaping the lives of those around him with his boundless energy and entrepreneurial zeal.Together with his sister Linda and his parents, they ran Fanci-Form, specialising in the manufacturing of lasts for both the local and international markets. Hi ...more

Roodepoort, Gauteng, SA – We’ve just been on a trip around the country, visiting customers and suppliers, and I’m quite confident about the future. It’s hard to put a finger on it, or to know what will happen with the election, but I am confident. Growth in traditional retail is minimal from our perspective as ther ...more

Bata Shoe Company has ordered its former employees to return to work after failing to pay them their retrenchment packages.Over 106 employees were laid off in November last year without notice and the company had pledged to pay them their severance packages within weeks.However, after failing to meet its end of the bargain, the company ha ...more

Whether you’re selling to your local market, or trying to export, you have to find your own identity. You cannot compete head-on with the East. Even if you offer similar footwear, there must be points of difference that offer value to your customers.In terms of export – and that is ultimately the goal of these courses – ...more

Alfonso Smerilli has had a long and varied career in the South African footwear industry and now, just shy of his 52nd birthday, and in a sector which is mostly struggling, he’s embarked on his most challenging role yet – as a factory owner, blazing a different trail.His start in the footwear industry was with a factory owned ...more

Was this your first overseas exhibition? No, I have done 5 other exhibitions, but this was my first time in Hong Kong.Did you do any confirmed business? – No.Did you come away with realistic leads? – Yes, I did.Are your current products appropriate for export? – Yes, they are.Because of your participation at APLF, are th ...more

East London, E. Cape, SA – Infix Creations won the best traditional handbag award and was chosen to feature in the trend area, positioning South Africa as a trend leader. This was a very big achievement with world buyers present.  ...more

Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – We found the fair to be excellent and, in many ways, back to the old glory days where everybody that we do business with around the globe attended.  We had current and past customers visit us from North America, South America, Europe, Australia and of course the East (which included Japan, Korea, etc).T ...more

SAFLEC executive director Nerisha Jairaj took part in session 1 of the Global Footwear Executive Summit, which covered footwear production and its supply chain.The theme of the session was to discuss the current scenario where the demand for footwear is significantly lower than the available supply, and finding a balance for the supply ch ...more