Benoni, Gauteng, SA – “Sales picked up slowly but now they’re going full steam,” Knight’s Shoes member Chiman Harjeven said on Saturday. “There is a bit of hesitation among consumers. Affordability is a problem. People want to buy the best they can, but they have to weigh it up. However, school is school, and they’ve got to have uniforms and shoes. I’m relieved its going well.”

He said Knight’s hadn’t had any issues with stock, and that it had good back up from suppliers, with Bronx, Grasshoppers and Toughees “the mainstays of our school shoe business”. 

Newcastle, KZN, SA – “It’s been busy the whole week,” Luggage Centre proprietor Yunus Hansa said on Saturday. He said the cheapest shoes were selling best, but that medium- and higher-priced shoes were also selling. Luggage Centre’s main school shoe brands, in ascending price order, are Skhumba, Toughees and Grasshoppers. 

Benoni, Gauteng, SA – “So far, the year has been extremely good,” Graham Butler, manager of Ekspa’s Benoni store, said on Saturday. Of the medium-price brands, he said Buccaneers were doing best. He said Hush Puppies, which has been doing very well off a small base, had redelivered. He said Green Cross has delivered this year.

Sport shoe sales haven’t yet picked up. 

Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA – January sales have “started off really nicely”, Brian Bands Sports director John Cooney said on Friday. “This time of year is a little bit crazy. Cricket and other summer sports are still ongoing, and customers are already starting to look at rugby. December was okay, but this month is very good.” He said the business ordered stock for December delivery. “That’s earlier than usual, but we have it when we need it. January deliveries can be a bit delayed.” He said Asics and New Balance are Brian Bands’ top running brands, and Adidas is its biggest in other sports 

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA – January sales so far “have been up and down”, The Sweat Shop member Jax Snyman said on Friday. “At this stage, we’re tracking last January’s sales, but we won’t really be able to tell until about the 15th. “One standout trend is that mornings have been much better than afternoons. In December, whatever we’d done by 1pm we could expect to double in the afternoon. This month, so far, afternoon sales are only about 30% of morning sales. That’s not just my observation – a competitor in Pretoria has made the same comment. Hard to know why.”

Stock remains an issue, with most supplier admin staff not yet back at work, he said.

He said apparel has become extremely competitive. “We’re being offered really good-looking product by the brands, but athleisure sales by fashion chains have made this a very crowded space. Obviously, there’s a huge difference in quality between what the brands are offering and what the chains are selling, but they look similar, and the prices are equally different.

“With the arrival of International fast fashion chains, and lately online Chinese retailers, the market has been driven down both in terms of quality and real unit pricing. But the brands are starting to refocus on feature- added products that should help create points of difference.”