S&V Weekly Newsletter Vol.6 No.12, March 23, 2020

This Newsletter is sponsored by SAFLIA

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Retail so far this year

"It's been very, very tough. March, so far, has been slightly better." - Don Patel, American Tailors & Outfitters, Roodepoort, Gauteng, SA. Independent, 1 store, men's outfitter.

"It's been very difficult this year. March is, if anything, a bit worse." - Fatima Daya, A. Daya & Sons, Belfast, Mpumalanga, SA. Independent, 1 store, men's outfitter.

"It's been pretty, tough, this past week especially." - Mini-chain director who didn't wish to be named, Durban, KZN, SA. Department store, 15 stores.

Bounty, brand vendors, in talks over C2C debts

Some of the 5 vendors who sold their brands to Bounty Brands, and who are still owed money by Bounty's former parent, Coast 2 Coast (C2C), are "in the final stages of concluding settlement offers from Bounty" one said on Friday.
       Another said he was not satisfied with his settlement offer.
       The vendors spoken to did not want to be identified.
       Although the vendors sold to Bounty, formerly majority owned by C2C, which is now in business rescue, in 2017 the debt was shifted by C2C to another subsidiary, "as part of formal agreement with vendors, that was then later unfortunately not honoured by C2C", Bounty Brands' group CEO Stefan Rabe said this morning.
       The current negotiations are between the vendors and Bounty.
       In a statement last week to S&V, Rabe said Bounty had "executed our contractual responsibilities to the Vendors in full, including the payment of all amounts legally and contractually due to them".
       He said, however, that C2C "owes money to a great number of entities and individuals", and that "where these entities have previously had a relationship with Bounty, such as former distributors of one of our brands, we are working with them in an effort to find a solution that minimizes any ancillary impact on Bounty".
       Vendors acknowledge that the outstanding amounts are owed by C2C due to the transfer of debt from Bounty, but say that if the issue ever went to court, their argument that the full implications of the transfer of the debt from Bounty to another entity in the C2C Group weren't disclosed to them "would have merit".
       A retailer said that statements and invoices for the clothing and footwear brands held by Bounty come from Reviva, another company in the Bounty stable.

And now the good news...

Eskom says it is not currently load shedding.

Covid-19: SA events postponed

Three local events in the leather, footwear and leather goods industries have so far been postponed.
Messe Frankfurt SA's fairs, Source Africa and ATF, which have been combined and rebranded as All Fashion Sourcing, will be held from October 13-15. Marketing assistant Priyanka Lutchman said that from 2021, the event would revert to June "because that's a better time of year for retailers".

The Southern African Vinyls Association's inaugural conference, Vinyls2020, scheduled to take place at Emperors Palace on Friday, 12 June 2020, has been postponed to a date early in 2021.

The Society of Leather Technologists & Chemists (SA Section) (SLTC) annual convention has been postponed from May 15-17 to October 16-18. It will still be held at the Green Leaves Country Lodge outside Pretoria.

Local factories get first option to Ihlobo equipment

Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA – In response to a request from the DTI, the liquidator of Ihlobo Footwear is inviting South African footwear manufacturers to submit offers for Ihlobo's equipment by April 3.
       The DTI asked liquidator Marcel Nel of Berrangé Inc to allow for offers restricted to local manufacturers only before going to public auction.
       Nel's contact details are +27 (0)33 345 5331, marcel@b-inc.co.za.

They Said It

And then there were...?
"I am no longer an agent for Adidas. Victim of the 4th Industrial Revolution." - Former Adidas Eastern Cape agent Terry Thornton, who is now Eastern, Western and Northern Cape and Namibia agent for Footwear Direct (Dakotas), Ares Holdings' Apollo Brands (Under Armour), Medicus Shoes (Cable Safety and Cable & Co), and Jockey.

The 2020 S&V Directory - Order now

The 2020 edition of the S&V Directory is in production and will be available soon. The online version is available immediately at R450 for 12 months' access.

2020 Trade Fairs Another essential service from S&V

Please note that we have updated most 2020 trade fairs and conferences on our website, linked to their websites: http://www.svmag.co.za/events

Exchange rates

Source: http://www.x-rates.com/calculator/

ABSA Agri Trends: Hides & skins prices

Hide prices (March 11, 2020) - The current average hide price increased marginally by 0.4% to R1.30/kg from R1.29 a week ago. The current price, however, is 4.8% lower than the average price a month ago and is 20.5% lower than the average price a year ago. The hide market remains in dire straits. Supply chains in Italy and China (and other regions) have been significantly disrupted due to the coronavirus outbreak, and until that normalizes, the global and local hide prices are expected to remain volatile. - Conce Moraba, agricultural economist, Absa group.

23/03/1965: Nilesh Naran, Curtolo Shoes, Laudium.
24/03/1986: Andrew Williams, Little Slipper Co., Port Elizabeth.
25/03/1974: Charl du Plessis, left the industry, formerly with KKI, Oudtshoorn.
26/03/1950: Bunny Ramsay, Equalization Footwear, Durban.
26/03/1961: Peter Meinzer, Thiel’s Shoe Shop, Windhoek.
27/03/1952: Mike Conradie, freelance designer, Durban.
27/03/1958: Tony Parkes, Futura Footwear, Pinetown.
28/03/1963: Brett Momberg, BBF Group, Port Elizabeth.
28/03/1964: Pooan Archary, Paragon Footwear, Pietermaritzburg.
28/03/1968: Ismail Gathoo, Esquire, Bethlehem.
28/03/1972: Alfonso Smerilli, Michelle Footwear, Durban.
28/03/1986: Mohomed Adam, Seadoone Shoes, Amanzimtoti.
29/03/1949: Jose Alves, Unikem, Pinetown.
29/03/1954: Keith Alexander,?
29/03/1955: Dennis Manning, emigrated, formerly Trenzado Footwear.
29/03/1963: Kosi Cooppan, Majenta Shoes, Durban.
29/03/1974: Julian Zuluaga, formerly Bata SA, Pinetown.

In Memoriam this week

24/03/2011: John Lailvaux (b. 16/10/1946), Naked Feet, Johannesburg.
26/03/2002: Marie Joy Viljoen, Tuftex, Pinetown.
26/03/2011: Paolo Bresolin (b. 25/07/1944), Andreoli Shoes, Pinetown.
26/03/1994: Manfred Hanni, Hanni Leathers [now Seton AutoLeather], Nigel.
28/03/2011: Brian Berger (b. 25/12/1963), Armadillo Footwear, Johannesburg.
28/03/2015: Colin Grecia (b. 29/12/1964), Classic Components, Pinetown.
29/03/2008: Jeff Bub (b. 28/09/1942), In Shoes/In Clothing [closed], Cape Town.

Have you let us know about your birthday, or the birthdays of your colleagues? Our readers love this section, so please become part of it. This also applies to the In Memoriam section. Help us remember former colleagues.

Have a look at these links

We invite businesses to send us links to websites, Facebook pages and the like which they feel would be of interest to others. The links below are from our database:
Cape Knife Cutting, Cape Town, W Cape, SA. Leather goods manufacturer and cutting service:
Cape Mohair, Cape Town, W Cape, SA. Sock and blanket manufacturer:

Contact us

News & Classifieds: Tony Dickson, +27 (0)31 209 7505, tony@svmag.co.za

Next newsletter: March 30, 2020.

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