S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine Vol87 No5 May 2021
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IN THIS ISSUE:
03 This Month's Focus Sector: Safety Footwear
- Local production up, imports down, pressure on prices.
- 'Our relationship with industry is good,' says NRCS.
- The NRCS needs to do what it's supposed to do; Sourcing from China hasn't been a problem; Swing to lower priced boots, but demand is good, says Rebel's Gavin Cooke.
- PPE budgets stretched, but sales up, says BBF's Ndlela Mazibuko.
- NRCS has an enormous task, but the process needs to be speeded up, says BBF's Eugene du Toit.
- Pandemic has helped us take market share from importers, says Bata SA's Michael Wyatt.
- Plan. Support your customers. Grow, says ProFit Safety Footwear's Nick Bryant.
13 The U.S. Market
- Sneakernomics: Team sports equipment recap for Q1 2021, by Matt Powell of NPD.
14 SA Sports Retail
- Locally, sports retailers are also seeing an upturn, say Mike's Sports' Mike Augoustides and Sports 'n All's Pierre Coetzer.
14 Sustainability
- Law firm Webber Wentzel explains the likely implications for all stages of the value chain of new legislation on packaging.
- Sustainability in fashion must be eco- and budget-friendly, says Kristen Classi-Zummo of NPD.
16 Innovations
- Joe Nimble launches post exercise 'foot recovery sandal'.
17 Online Retail
- The impact of online retailing on China's apparel market - an article by inspection, verification, testing and certification company SGS.
18 Trade Fairs
- MICAM ready to start again, but digital event has proved its value and will remain.
Advertisers in this Issue
BBF Safety Group (OFC), Creative Leathergoods (3), Deluxe Footwear (5), Freestyle (2), Hi-Tec/Magnum (11), Kaliber (9), Rebel Safetygear (7), Saddler Belts (6), Woodland (4).
In The Next Issue:
- Focus Sector: Outdoor Footwear.
Out on June 11
We've revamped our trade fair calendar. Visit https://www.svmag.co.za/events
- Effects of the pandemic: Local production up, imports down, pressure on prices
More than any other footwear category in South Africa, safety footwear has so far survived the pandemic relatively unscathed - no life support from government, and apparently no casualties. It helped that its status as part of PPE, and therefore an essential service, allowed it to operate, albeit on a reduced scale, during the strictest p ...moreRebel Safety Gear - Q&A with Gavin Cooke, MD
- The NRCS needs to do what it's supposed to dorn- Sourcing from China hasn't been a problemrn- Swing to lower priced boots, but demand is good ...morePPE budgets stretched, but sales up
Q&A with Ndlela Mazibuko, BBF Safety Group sales managerHow well has the safety footwear market held up over the past 18 months? Are there any noticeable changes in the quantities your customers are buying, in the price points that they're buying, or in the end customers that they're supplying? (e.g. is mining down but some other sect ...moreThey have an enormous task, but the process needs to be speeded up
Eugene du Toit, BBF Safety Group technical managerTo start, we’d like to acknowledge the work the NRCS is doing with regards to safety footwear and the PPE categories they regulate. The enormity of the task is sometimes overlooked but, taking into account that safety footwear only came into the NRCS portfolio a few years ago, ...morePandemic has helped us take market share from importers
Q&A with Michael Wyatt, MD Bata SAHow happy or otherwise is your business with the NRCS? Do you have numbers for all your styles? What are the problems, for safety footwear suppliers, with what the NRCS is doing? Bata has a good relationship with NRCS. However, South Africa would benefit from speeding up the turnaround time of ne ...morePlan. Support your customers. Grow.
Q&A with Nick Bryant, national sales manager, ProFit Safety FootwearYou have said that ProFit Safety Footwear has secured 18% growth year on year through Covid-19. How do you get shipping berths? This is the crystal ball part of the game. The “Magic 8 Ball” gets a shake as we ask the question…will the vessel be ...moreJoe Nimble launches post exercise 'foot recovery sandal'
The Woodlands, Texas, U.S.A. – ‘Functional Footwear’ specialist Joe Nimble has developed a 'recovery sandal' for runners – with assistance from Footwear Innovation Lab GmbH and global chemical company Huntsman Corporation. The so-called 'recoverToes' sandals, which are designed to rehabilitate tired fee ...moreThe Impact of Online Retailing on China’s Apparel Market
Consumers are increasingly turning towards online retailers to buy apparel. In China, e-commerce now accounts for over one quarter of all non-food retailing. How can brands succeed in this competitive market? It would be wrong to think the 2020 pandemic caused consumers to shift their shopping habits away from ‘bricks and mortar&rsq ...more'Our relationship with industry is good', says NRCSMirriam Moswaane, head of communications and marketing at the NRCS, responded to our questionsHow does the NRCS view its relationship with the safety footwear industry in terms of compliance and co-operation? The relationship is good. How does the NRCS react to criticisms such as:Why do approvals take a long time? This is due to the ...moreTeam sports equipment recap for Q1 2021April 23, 2021 - The strong trend we saw in golf and team sports equipment under COVID has continued into 2021, with a few notable exceptions. Sales growth for Q1 was robust, up more than 50% compared to 2020 and up more than 40% compared to 2019. There, of course, were several one-offs that drove these trends: the third stimulus check, t ...moreLocally, sports retailers are also seeing an upturnWe asked a number of South African sports goods retailers to comment on the NPD report. Two responded. Mike Augoustides, partner, Mike's SportsCape Town, W. Cape, SA - Generally there has been a more positive sentiment since the beginning of May. Team sports have started to begin again albeit in a staggered manner. Some clubs are tra ...moreBrand owners, manufacturers, importers, retailers BEWARE!On 5 May 2021 the Regulations Regarding Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR Regs) came into force under the Waste Act. On the same day, the second round of amendments to the EPR Regs were finally published after extensive consultation with the affected sectors. The significance of the EPR Regs cannot be understated. Th ...moreSustainability in fashion must be eco- and budget-friendlyFor Millennials and Gen Xers, some of the most popular videos on TikTok (aside from the ones telling us our jeans are out of style) are ones that allow us to relive the nostalgia of our youth. I was recently brought back to my pre-teen adolescence when a particular video showcased a book in The Baby-Sitters Club series, “Dawn Saves ...moreMICAM 'ready to start again, but digital event has proved its value and will remain'Milan, Italy (May 13, 2021) - The Italian government’s recent announcement of a date for starting physical trade fair events again "makes us cautiously optimistic about the future,” says Assocalzaturifici and MICAM Chair Siro Badon. “We’re working on a new 3-day formula rather than the usual 4 days, guarantee ...moreFootwear Industry Articles
- “De Minimis” exemption removal — what it means for Shein, Temu & Amazon haul
Recent changes to the “de minimis” exemption, which previously allowed packages under $800 to enter the U.S. tax-free, have raised concerns about the future of fast fashion giants Shein and Temu, as well as Amazon’s newest entrant into the market, Amazon Haul. But what’s really at play ...moreA practical joker, honest and generous in all things – except maybe biltong
Obituary: Howard Charles Patterson-Roberts – footwear agent (22/06/1951-08/03/2025) ...moreEU targets Shein as number of low value parcels more than doublesBrussels, Belgium (06 February 2025) – The European Commission has asked online fast-fashion retailer Shein to provide internal documents and more detailed information on risks linked to the presence of illegal goods and content on its marketplace, the EU executive said on Thursday.Shein said it welcomes "efforts that enhance t ...more
Leather Industry Articles
- A response to Sam Setter’s Pill, ‘Audits and reality aren’t always the same thing’, in the last issueI am not going to defend the brands or auditing systems referred to in the article shared by Sam. I would like to provide some thoughts from my own experiences for some of the drivers for those behaviours.The lack of transparency of parts of the supply chain and the superficiality of auditing systems are not disconnected; they are both af ...moreREGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE
Tanners should try to source their hides from farmers who are practising sustainable farming techniques ...moreAct on Agricultural Land Conservation is ‘just a veil for greater state controlPretoria, Gauteng, SA (29 January 2025) – TLU SA rejects the new Act on the Conservation and Development of Agricultural Land. The agricultural organisation believes this law is nothing more than a veil for greater state control and a direct threat to the future of agriculture in South Africa. It runs almost parallel to the Expropri ...more
PPE Industry Articles
- Understanding respirator PPE
The subject of Respirator Personal Protective Equipment is confusing until one understands the basic concept requirements.OHS Act defines Respiratory Protective Equipment as a device which is worn over at least the mouth and nose to prevent the inhalation of air borne hazardous chemical substances and which is of a type or conforms to a s ...moreSwitch to updated standard: Footwear suppliers given time limit to run out old stockPretoria, Gauteng, SA – Safety footwear suppliers have until April 2026 to sell stock made to the 2014 edition of SA National Standard (SANS) 20345.The National Regulator for Compulsory Standards (NRCS) confirmed this at a stakeholder meeting on 11 March.The SA National Standard (SANS) for safety footwear in South Africa was upgrade ...moreConsumer Protection Act marking – ‘beware faulty inspections’ warns importer who is R250 000 poorerPinetown, KZN, SA – Wholesaler and retailer Treadsafe cc, which had a container of 120 000 pairs of plain white cotton gloves held up last July by the National Consumer Commission for suspected contravention of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), managed to get the container released – almost 3 months and around R250 ...more
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