S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol80 No7 July 2017
This Magazine is sponsored by SAFLIA
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Industry Barometer: Tough is the new normal
Eco Rubber: Demand for new PVC styles drives growth.
ENS Machinery: Technical staff - a looming crisis.
CG Shoes: A lot depends on retailers moving stock.
Christin's Manufacturers: Tourists offset drop in chain business.
Deluxe Footwear: All sectors are weak.
Florsheim SA: Holding stock helps retailers.
Ebson's: Landlords could make a big difference.
Jackson's Clothing & Footwear: Time to reinvent ourselves.
Interview: Bernie Brookes, CEO, Edcon
Credit still has a big role in SA, but online not a big factor.
Associations
SAFLIA AGM: Praise for a 'resilient bunch'.
Local production continues to rally despite poor trading conditions.
Survival is not of the fittest, but of the most responsive to change.
Chain Profile: The Cape Union Mart Group
The K-Way to success.
Company News
Bata SA: Re-launch for global brands.
Elan-Polo: Back to core values, but local sourcing 'still a problem'.
Jensen: Design and sampling centre 'to create inspirational area for customers'.
Bolton's Olympic: Athleisure on trend again.
International News
The cold hard facts about the state of retail today.
Keen: Here’s how to make US footwear sourcing cheaper than China.
Report: Amazon shoe sales see double-digit growth in Q1 and Q2.
Report finds UK retail market among toughest in the world.
Payless emerges from bankruptcy and focuses on brick-and-mortars.
Could Nike Be Dragging Foot Locker Down?
Advertisers in this Issue
Apeco (2), Chilisource/Shoepack (4), Katz Footwear/Wild (OFC), Tuftex (6).
Footwear Industry Articles
- Malawi: Imports, forex stifle local leather sectorThe Malawi Leather Industry Association says it is struggling to meet the annual demand for shoes, producing only 200 000 pairs against demand of 15.5 million, largely due to competition from imports and forex shortages hindering raw material imports.Data from Small and Medium Enterprises Development Institute (Smedi), which is championin ...moreA guide for retailers and distributors on how to advise customers to avoid sole degradation
Richard Kushlick runs footwear education and training programmes for all tiers of the industry (https://footweareducation.co.za/).Starting this month, he will write columns on various topical subjects for S&V. In this issue, he covers a complaint which retailers often face from consumers – sole degradation in soles made from cre ...moreDangee Carken: It will take a few more years to really grow
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – One would expect vulcanised canvas to be showing renewed momentum, given its durability and long-lasting value in a market where affordability is key. There’s also a strong heritage connection, with many South Africans remembering vulcanised footwear — like Converse, back when it was widely ac ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- PEPTIDE MANUFACTURE
Purchasing a 25 kg hide for the purposes of manufacturing a bit of leather used to be a pretty inefficient process. Consulting the 1999 paper (by UNIDO) showed the industry that 60-70% of that 25 kg is water, leaving collagen, keratin, glycosaminoglycans, fat, and a few minor components. The hair, epidermis, and fat are removed to leave a ...moreGELATINE INDUSTRY
Leather users have long joked about how good it would be to have square hides…thanks to the demand for gelatine, maybe that’s not so far away ...moreSam Setter's 'Pills': For readers who need some wry medicinal humourICLT – no need to mourn too muchRegretfully the University of Northampton decided in 2023 to close the Institute of Creative Leather Technologies, which in a variety of forms can be dated back to 1891. Apparently, the number of students declined over the years, the costs increased and the institution became unsustainable leading to ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Surviving the safety footwear industry: The Simpsons meet Armageddon
ProFit Safety Footwear national sales manager Nick Bryant was asked on his 45th birthday (20th of August) whether he still enjoys what he does for a living. “Absolutely. I love it. I live for it,” he replied. “And as for how… well, like most things in life, you need to have a serious passion for it… and an ...more2 golds for Xylem Africa in UK safety awards
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (26 June 2025) – Xylem Africa and its parent, Xylem Water Solutions & Services, between them netted 18 awards – 15 gold and 3 silver – for safety excellence, accountability, and care from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the world's largest health and safety program ...moreSELECTING JOB TASK PPEThe issue of ‘Selecting Job Task Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE)’ seems a simple undertaking, but at many levels, it is a fairly complex issue, because for each type of PPE there are usually various product variants available for the different risks and exposures related to specific job task work occurrences and events.To ...more
