S&V Weekly Newsletter Vol.9 No.31, July 31 2023

Download PDF

Please note: Click on any ad to go to the advertiser’s website

Components

Chamberlain Phipps: Expecting improvement

Colin Kemp, member, Chamberlain Phipps
Pinetown, KZN, SA – Trading conditions are okay. Nothing spectacular but acceptable in these tough times. Being optimistic, we are expecting better trading towards the year end.

Manufacturing

Bolton Footwear: Sales on par with last year

Dewald Visagie, group sales executive, Bolton Footwear
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA - In general, our sales are on par with last year for the same period (January to July). We are, however, in a much better position when it comes to stock availability to service our customers in full and on time.
      It is very difficult to determine regional sales as chain stores count for more than 50% of our business and we deliver to their central distribution.
      The retailers buy differently since Covid and focus more on commercial footwear than fashion. Grasshoppers is still our top performing brand with a growth on last year. Our Grasshoppers styles offer best quality and comfort to the service and school industry.
        Currently we not focussing on export but rather ensuring we service the local market with quality leather footwear.

Retailing

Sole Base: Online has shown growth, but it’s not easy

Peter Perkins, member, Sole Base
Durban, KZN, SA – It’s a been a terrible 3 months, to be frank.
      You can’t influence things like load shedding, so you have to look to yourself, to offer the right merchandise at a price consumers are willing to pay in a price-sensitive market.
      We’ve been selling online now for 3 years. It’s a very tough market, and you must throw a lot of money at it. Most of the online customers are from outside Durban, and mostly outside KZN. We’ve been showing growth, but it’s been a heck of a few years.
      Also, the range of merchandise hasn’t been exciting, and winter is never exciting. Can’t wait for summer, which is a long season for us. Hopefully summer will pick up.
Can’t day I’ve heard anyone say things are flying.

Global

Richemont buys top Italian shoe factory

Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – Richemont, the SIX Swiss Exchange- and Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed luxury goods group, has bought a controlling stake in Milan-based men’s and women’s footwear manufacturer Gianvito Rossi, according to a release on Friday:
      Gianvito Rossi, Founder, CEO and Creative Director of the eponymous brand, will retain a stake in the company and continue to nurture and develop the Maison in partnership with Richemont.
      Philippe Fortunato, CEO of Richemont’s Fashion & Accessories Maisons, said:
“Gianvito Rossi is an exceptional Maison with unique savoir-faire in the world of shoemaking. Its core attributes of uncompromising quality, elegance and timelessness are perfectly aligned with Richemont’s values.”
      The transaction has no material financial impact on Richemont’s consolidated net assets or operating result for the year ending 31 March 2024. The performance of Gianvito Rossi will be reported under the ‘Other’ business area, which is mostly composed of the Fashion & Accessories Maisons. Completion remains subject to certain customary conditions and regulatory approvals.

They Said It

"A hole-in-one is ALWAYS a fluke." - Mano Chetty, member, Borage Trading, Pinetown, KZN, SA. Clearly, he has more than his share of luck, then, because he has had TWO, at 2 different golf clubs, both attested to by certificates on the Borage board room wall. And both scored with his driver.

New subscribers last week

Brett van Rooyen, Fine Leathers, Durban, South Africa
Timm Zarnack, N&T Sewing Tecnologies (Pty) Ltd, Durban, South Africa
Henk Tandt, Senior Leather Techncian, Stahl Chemicals GmbH, Leinfelden Echterdingen, Germany
Vincent Vanderkolf, Operations Manager, Amanu. Cape Town, South Africa
Ashwin Jaganik, Sales, East Asian Import & Export (Pty) Ltd, Queensburgh, South Africa

Directory entries updated last week

Academy Outfitters, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.
Afro Thai Imports cc, Trafalgar, KZN, SA.
Americanos [MSW Clothing Enterprises cc], Ladysmith, KZN, SA.
Claw Boot International (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
Dangee Carken (Pty) Ltd, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
Drake’s Pride, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.
Envirotan Water cc, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.
Faulks Footwear [R. Faulks & Co (Pty) Ltd], Durban, KZN, SA.
Karma Now, Cape Town, W. Cape, 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

31/07/1940: David Berry, retired, formerly Rockshoes [closed], Pinetown, KZN, SA.
31/07/1969: Mark Dicks, emigrated, formerly Prime Leathers, Pinetown, KZN, SA.
01/08/1935: Bev Jack, retired, formerly Bata Zimbabwe and LAIFEZ, Harare, Zimbabwe.
02/08/1954: Brian Haarburger, MD, Paris Belts, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
02/08/1946: Burt Coburn, ?, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
02/08/1971: JJ du Plessis, Strassbergers, Clanwilliam, W. Cape, SA.
02/08/1991: Samantha du Plessis, Chillisource, Durban, KZN, SA.
03/08/1941: Rolf Haesloop, retired, formerly Haesloop Agencies, Pinetown, KZN, SA.
03/08/1972: Fazel Allie, Arma Trading, Botswana.
03/08/1928: Gerry Elder, retired, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
05/08/1933: Roberto Marchesi, designer, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
05/08/1943: Barry Selby, The Athlete’s Foot, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
05/08/1953: Iqbal Moosa, Jumbo Footwear, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
05/08/1956: Rafiq Shah, Evoné, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
05/08/1961: Vaughn van der Merwe, World of Workwear, Germiston, Gauteng, SA.
05/08/1964: Christo Nel, Conloo Joinery, Welkom, Free State, SA.
05/08/1979: Deepesh Ghela, National Adhesive Manufacturers, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
06/08/1953: Naren Pattundeen, Palm group, Durban, KZN, SA.
06/08/1951: Marius Ferreira, retired, formerly Bolton Footwear, Great Brak River, W. Cape, SA.
06/08/1942: Mahomed Farouk Moosa Seedat, Prince International, Durban, KZN, SA.
06/08/1959: Mano Chetty, Borage Trading, Pinetown, KZN, SA.

In memoriam this week

31/07/2022: Graeme Katz (b. 05/02/1969), Treets Footwear [closed], Katz Footwear, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
02/08/2022: David Tosh (b. 13/02/1954), Shoe Corporation, La Nuova, Adorable and Bona Shoes (all closed) in Durban, KZN, SA and Harrismith, Free State, SA, and Rockport, Lisbon, Portugal. Died in Glasgow, Scotland.
03/08/1999: Otto Guldimann (b. 2/10/1922), Cellini [closed], Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
03/08/1992: Malcolm Kueghn, Hi-Tec Sports, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
03/08/2007: Noel Amery (b. 05/09/1944), Western Tanning and Michelle Footwear, Durban, Clarens Leather [closed], Clarens, Free State, SA.
04/08/2006: Peter Gibbings (b. 31/01/1922), Apeco, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.
05/08/2002: Darryl Austin (b. 21/02/1947), Austin Shoes, Karmino Shoes [both closed], Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
06/08/2012: Bob Johnsen (b. ?), Picannini Shoes [closed], footwear designer, Durban, KZN, SA.
06/08/2021: Ben Peters (b. 30/09/1934), Tuftex, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, 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 (27 July 2023) - The current average hide price decreased by 0.1% to R3.38/kg from R3.40/kg a week ago. The current price is 1.9% lower than the average price a month ago and 17.8% lower than the average price a year ago. The range of prices reported was as follows: Minimum price: R3.08 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.
Karma Now, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA. Distributor.
Karoo Taxidermy, Graaff-Reinet, E. Cape, SA. Taxidermy.

Contact us

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

Next newsletter: August 7, 2023.

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

Our website www.svmag.co.za