S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol80 No3 March 2017
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Industry Barometer
Bassett Leathers: Consumers, mini-chains buying down, but there will always be a top end market.
Cosmo Footwear: It’s vital to be on top of business, product-wise.
Best Shoes: Skills shortage adds to difficulties.
House of Busby: Luggage less affected by fashion.
American Clothing: Return to high street trading.
Edelstein Distributors: Keep on pedalling.
Bolton Footwear: A bleak picture now, but still optimistic.
Opinion: Phillip Nutt
The role of creativity in footwear design.
Opinion: Bloomberg
America’s retailers are closing stores faster than ever.
Interview: Bata SA country manager John Harman
Tasked with turning Bata around.
Companies & Products
Barksole offers reprocessing service.
Brand Triangle Company: Ex Skye MD Richard Dixon in new venture.
Crep Protect: 1 product for all sneakers.
Falke: Aiming to grow fashion hosiery sales.
Labora: Praise from the Minister of Trade & Industry.
Fairs
Discussions follow Indian Council for Leather Exports show in Cape Town.
GDS successor Gallery Shoes prepares for first show in August.
Notice Board
Retirement: Ron MacNiven, Decofurn.
Obituary: Taisekwa Mandirahwe, Cathula Sandals.
Advertisers in this Issue
ProFit Safety Footwear (OFC), Katz Footwear/Willow (2), Crep Protect (4).
Footwear Industry Articles
- R-CTFL meeting: Manufacturers told ‘to come back with something to show’Last week’s R-CTFL Masterplan meeting between retail, manufacturing, labour and government, with a concentration on footwear and leather goods, showed that the gulf between retail and the rest hasn’t narrowed.A follow-up meeting is planned for 08 May.The Department of Trade, Industry & Competition (DTIC), the SA Footwear & ...moreObituary: Vic Jablowski, BUSM, Protech V (03/09/1953-11/12/2025): One of those who survived BU’s closure
Durban, KZN, SA – My dad – was AMAZING.Born in 1953, he married Evelyn in 1979. My sister, Luanne Hough, was born in 1980, and I followed in 1983.A family man who made sure he supported his family in the most wonderful ways; he was also a loyal company man who worked most of his life for British United Shoe Machinery.But when ...more‘The ideas are there – SA needs the implementation’: National Productivity Symposium: Productivity, Decent Work and Sustainable Development in SA (From Policy to Action)
I attended the National Productivity Symposium on 05 and 06 March hosted by NEDLAC in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The symposium aimed to assess productivity trends and experiences in South Africa, particularly lessons from enterprise-level initiatives linking productivity improvements to the advancement ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- CHROME BAN?
Detecting chromium at low concentrations isn’t hard – it’s detecting low levels of Cr(VI) in a cloud of Cr(III) that’s hard ...moreSARLEN aims for business and regulatory advocacy for the leather value chain across SADC
The formation of the Southern African Regional Leather Network (SARLEN) is a process to formalise a voice for commercial, entrepreneurial and developmental associations in the leather value chain (LVC) for the region.The leather value chain has been recognised in SADC as a key entrepreneurial opportunity that can adjust to the scale of th ...moreRemoval of bisphenol compounds from leather using laccase enzymes
IntroductionBisphenol A (BPA), Bisphenol F (BPF), and Bisphenol S (BPS) are chemicals that have been shown to exhibit estrogenic effects and reproductive toxicity. These compounds disrupt hormonal balance, leading to reproductive and developmental toxicity, neuroendocrine dysfunction, immune system suppression, DNA damage, and chromosoma ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Understanding local and international PPE standards: Clarity in a complex landscape
Appearances and claims to the contrary, South Africa’s PPE industry “is largely unregulated, and a high percentage of PPE on the market is not compliant with official standards”, uvex Safety SA MD Christo Nel said, “and that’s a problem at many levels, and for the entire value chain”.He said the fundame ...morePPE Conference 2026: PPE isn’t optional. It’s essential
The Safety First Association (SFA) and the Southern African Protective Equipment Marketing Association (SAPEMA), both non-profit organisations, are jointly putting together a PPE conference to be held at Emperors Conference Centre, Kempton Park, on 10 and 11 March.This will be “a ground-breaking event, creating a programme packed wi ...moreCompetition Tribunal approves RMB acquisition of Barron TradingPretoria, Gauteng, SA – The Competition Tribunal has unconditionally approved the merger in which RMB Property Holdco 3 (Pty) Ltd will acquire sole control over Barron Trading (Pty) Ltd.RMB 3 is a wholly owned subsidiary of RMB Investments and Advisory (Pty) Ltd which is, in turn, a wholly owned subsidiary of FirstRand Investment Ho ...more
