S&V Weekly Newsletter Vol.9 No.27, July 03 2023

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Wage Negotiations

Eddels: Reduced pairage, more optimism

Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA – After 3 months under new ownership, Eddels has settled into a routine which will hopefully lead it into sustainable profitability, new GM Steven Jacobs said last week.
      “This is a business in distress, and we’re not trying to hide it,” he said, “but as big as the challenges are, there are also opportunities.”
      Production has been scaled back further. By the time of the takeover, production had dropped to 1 500 pairs/day of mixed leather and synthetic, formal and casual, men’s, women’s and children’s footwear. Now, it’s 450 pairs/day of men’s formal leather footwear. Staff numbers have dropped from around 300 to 108.
      “We think that’s the right level at the moment,” he said. “The optimistic estimate is that we can turn this business around in 6 months. I would say 2 years would be closer to the mark.”
      Eddels was bought by Johannesburg-based Caralli Footwear – itself part of a bigger group – and Caralli specialises in formal men’s leather footwear.
      “We have experience in this industry,” Jacobs said, “and we have a lot of very talented people trying to make this business work to the point where it can run itself.
      “We’re not going to try to double production this year. We can look at that, and at diversifying production, when it’s stable.”
      He said reducing the staff had been a difficult decision, but that “if we’d kept everyone, the business would have failed – the intention is that as and when we grow, we’ll bring those people back. Where else would we find those skills?”
      Management cuts were proportionately greater; Chris Paul has been promoted to production and planning manager, Richard Starmer is now design and technical manager. Among his other inputs, Caralli MD and group shareholder Samet Karali oversees the original Eddels team of agents.
      Jacobs, an actuarial science graduate who was working for the group in Germany, was brought back to run Eddels. “I’ve had footwear experience with the group, but mostly on the retail side,” he said.
      “We’re selling to a mix of chains and independents, and that’s the way we want to keep it,” he said. “One thing we’ve noticed is that there has been a shift by retailers to source more leather footwear locally.”

New Positions

New Germany, KZN, SA – Former Eddels sales and chain merchandising manager Ian Carroll has joined clothing business FS Trading to set up a footwear range. He said the range would include formal and casual, leather and synthetic ranges, and would be sourced both locally and via imports.

Tongaat, KZN, SA – Former Eddels GM Craig Bowes is “doing some work for Celrose at the moment”, he said on Friday. Eddels was formerly a division of Celrose Clothing.

Looking for children’s shoes

Blantyre, Malawi – Iqbal Hajat, director of Footwear Centre, which stocks a very broad range of footwear, is looking for suppliers of children’s shoes.
Contact him at: Tel: +265 1824340 Mobile: +265 980073603 Email: footwearcentre@yahoo.com

Tarzan: Update on director’s health

Dear colleagues: Director of Tarzan Shoes, John Olde Olthof, recently underwent surgery, but suffered complications and has had some major health setbacks. We are still awaiting further feedback from the medical team.
      In the meanwhile, should you need product / business information, we request that you contact our offices directly as John will be unable to answer calls or respond to emails for some time still.
      Thanking you for your understanding and continued support. - Chené Jacobs, Tel. +27 (0)23 230 1083, info@tarzanshoes.co.za, http://www.tarzanshoes.co.za

Adidas launches its largest store in Africa at Gateway Shopping Centre

According to a report in Biz Community, Adidas South Africa has opened a new Home of Sport concept store in Durban, at Gateway Shopping Centre. It's the first of its kind on the African continent, and with a retail footprint of 1687 square meters, it's also the largest Adidas store in Africa.
The Home of Sport concept is rooted in sport culture, showcasing the best of the Adidas brand through powerful visual storytelling.
Customers will find a truly immersive retail experience, from cutting-edge technologies and a Run Lab that tests gait analysis, to a unique Made for You section where footwear and apparel can be personalised with embroidery, engraving, badges and heat press.
Changing rooms are spacious and include a bra measurement facility, as well as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) mirrors that automatically detect product information, to provide consumers with real-time colour and style options.
The store has a wide selection of best-in-class products across its Running, Outdoor, Training, Women’s, Football, Sportswear and Originals categories, with a premium offering of Stella McCartney, Terrex and Y3, as well as an exclusive DBN t-shirt range.
The space is hyper-local, with Durban culture and credibility woven at every touchpoint. The store offers a modern retail space, with a dynamic layout that combines both functional and aesthetic elements.
- The furniture is designed by murrmurr, with the moon range inspired by the night sky. Different moon phases are incorporated in the design – from waxing, waning, crescent, full and new moon.
- Kylie Wentzel’s carpet design was inspired by the pace of life in the subtropical city of Durban. The warm and bold colours in the design, the palm trees, surfboard and sandcastle – are all suggestive of vibrant coastal living.
- The store installation was done by Arturo Tedeschi, who used the map of Durban as a generative element to add meaning and depth to his work. There is an interplay between layers within the sculpture that engages with the surrounding light and spatial store dimensions, in an immersive experience.

In case you missed it!

The June issue of S&V Footwear & Leather Goods Magazine

CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT ONLINE

S&V FOOTWEAR & LEATHER GOODS MAGAZINE VOL89 No6 June 2023

IN THIS ISSUE:

03 Innovation
- Footwear and leather goods are mostly excluded from duty free imports under the AfCFTA agreement – at least for now.
- Traditional retail making a comeback at the expense of DTC, says Wall Street Journal.

06 School Shoes
- Veldskoen lends design in school shoe collaboration with Softer.

07 Exports & Trade
- Chimpel (Shim-Pal to those in the know): A hunger to succeed.
- SACU members sign agreement to ease imports and exports.

11 Headlines with Tinashe Mandirahwe
- Unravelling the future of boat shoes – insights into Sperry’s market position.
- Shocking underpayment of workers in modern day America.
- Inclusivity tested: Major retailer faces backlash, removes LGBQT merchandise.
- Luxury vs. middle-class market: Prada Group’s growth and PouYuen Vietnam’s setbacks.

15 Sustainability
- PVC industry fights to avoid global ban. - Global Vinyl Council feedback on Paris talks to ban plastic waste – a report by Monique Holtzhausen, CEO of the Southern African Vinyls Association (SAVA).
- Première Vision: Following new rules.
- SGS expands network of ZDHC Foundation approved softlines labs.
- Microban develops metal-free anti-microbial technology

12 Notice Board
- Retirement: Terry Holton, ACA: ‘Do what you love, and you’ll never have to work.’
- Bata appointments: Saket Mota, Denise Moodley, Suhail Rajah.

19 Trade Statistics
- South Africa: April imports and exports of footwear and accessories, provided by SARS.



Advertisers in this Issue
APLF (OFC), Berzacks (04), Bolton Footwear/Grasshoppers (05), Evolution Engineering (01), Freestyle Genuine Handcrafted Leather (02), Royal Adhesive Industries (07), Saddler Belts (09), SAFLEC (10), S&V Directory (13), S&V Trade Fair Calendar (17), Softer (03).

They Said It

"Protesters Clash With Police in Paris, Break Into Nike, Zara Stores." - Headline in Footwear News, 30 June edition. Well, it’s comforting to know that ‘democratic shopping’ isn’t confined to South African mobs, isn’t it?

New subscribers last week

Mayank Rajput, Leather Technician, TFL Quin India Pvt Ltd, Kanpur, India
Chesne Botha, Management, Bolton Footwear, Cape Town, South Africa
Claudio Dallavalle, Director, La Camorra, Cape Town, South Africa
Melissa Lewis, Sales Executive, Messe Frankfurt, Cape Town, South Africa

Directory entries updated last week

Jumbo Discount Store, Krugersdorp, Gauteng, SA.

Got anything you'd like to share?

Do you have any suggestions, comments or experiences about the industry that you'd like to share with the industry? - tony@svmag.co.za

Birthdays this week

03/07/1949: Pieter Coetzee, Assegaay Bosch Ranch, Van Wyksdorp, W. Cape, SA.
03/07/1976: Michelle van Emmenes, Paris Belts, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
04/07/1952: Eddie Lahee, formerly Shoeperama [closed], Durban, KZN, SA.
04/07/1956: Warren Wareing, Island Style, Durban, KZN, SA.
04/07/1967: Martin MacGregor, Bay Solutions, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.
04/07/19xx: Clare Jones, Zip-Code, Umhlanga, KZN, SA.
05/07/1941: Judy Powell, retired, formerly Footwork, Trafalgar, KZN, SA.
06/07/1974: Gary Gilder, formerly Bolton Footwear, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
07/07/1953: Khalit Ghoor, Hagels, Brits, N.W. Province, SA.
07/07/1955: John Kotze, Designer Marketing Int. Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
07/07/1959: Lenette van Vuuren, Incredible Shoes, Ladysmith, KZN, SA.
07/07/1965: Anil Rupnarain, Michelle Footwear, Durban, KZN, SA.
07/07/1966: Sakkie Kriel, Vellie Boutique, Boksburg, Gauteng, SA.
07/07/19xx: Jaybharat Jethwa, The African Boot Co., Nairobi, Kenya.
08/07/1950: Sam Muller, BEC Safety, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.
09/07/1942: Cecil Fenwick, Saddler Belts & Leathercraft, Durban, KZN, SA.
09/07/1949: Bryn Proctor, ?, formerly Crown Footwear, Pinetown, KZN, SA.
09/07/1958: Johan Kriel, retired, formerly Bolton Footwear, Great Brak River, W. Cape, SA.
09/07/1969: Hein Jonker, Ostrich Products SA, Oudtshoorn, W. Cape, SA.
09/07/1975: Gian-Paolo Bresolin, left the industry, formerly Andreoli Shoes [closed], Pinetown, KZN, SA.

In memoriam this week

03/07/2021: Debbie Ditchfield (b. 15/10/1975), machinery agent, Hillcrest, KZN, SA.
04/07/2010: Kasieprasad Pattundeen (b. 29/12/1924), Palm Footwear, Durban, KZN, SA.
05/07/1999: Norman Berrill, Jack & Jill [closed], Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, freelance designer, Durban, KZN, SA.
06/07/1996: Eric Waterworth, King Tanning Company [closed], Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
06/07/2020: Malcolm Novos (b. 28/04/1949), Economic Shoe Store, Paarl, W Cape, SA.
07/07/1993: Rob Scallan, Tuftex, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.
09/07/2015: Mahomed Ebrahim Haffejee (b.18/08/1930), Capri Bag, Durban, KZN, SA.

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.

3. Malawian Kwacha (MWK)

Source: https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

4. Zambian Kwacha (ZMW)

Source: https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

5. Zimbabwean Dollar (ZWL$)

Source: https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/

Note: For previous rates, see HERE

ABSA Agri Trends: Hides & skins prices

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (30 June 2023) - The current average hide price decreased by 0.8% to R3.38/kg from R3.40/kg a week ago. The current price is 6.5% lower than the average price a month ago and 17.7% lower than the average price a year ago. The range of prices reported was as follows: Minimum price: R3.12 Maximum price: R4.50. Please note: Our methodology weighs the prices we collect according to the number of hides they sell in a month. This is done to make it more representative of the prevailing market price. NB* Hide prices are determined by the average of the RMAA (Red Meat Abattoir Association) and independent companies. - Marlene Louw, senior agricultural economist, and Nkhensani Mashimbyi, agricultural economist, and Zama Sangweni, agricultural economist, Absa group.

Note: For previous prices, see HERE

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:
Muhammad Bulbulia, formerly of retailer Joey & Sam, has asked us to highlight the website belonging to a new business, Tranquil Dawn. Joey & Sam has closed.
K-West Leatherworld, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA. Belt and bag manufacturer.
KAL Group, Paarl, W. Cape, SA. Co-op retailer.

Contact us

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

Next newsletter: July 10, 2023.

SAFLIA enquiries: Tel 0800SAFLIA * Email info@saflia.co.za * Website http://www.saflia.co.za

Our website www.svmag.co.za