S&V Weekly Newsletter Vol.9 No.41, October 9 2023

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Difficult choices for expensive footwear

Ivan Orkin, Orkin’s Shoe Centre
Germiston, Gauteng, SA - We’re finding trade very tricky and not good at all. Prices have become so exorbitant, and you must downgrade all the time. But people aspire to better end merchandise and brands, so you lose that segment if you’re not careful. You can’t offer copies – they know what they want. To be a player, you must be up-to-date.
      To sell expensive footwear you have to offer credit. Lay bye doesn’t seem to be good enough for the premium brands. However, we do stock Palladium, and we do quite well with that, I must say.
      But in general, consumers have less money, and they have more people they have to support. If they can’t afford what they really want, the business just doesn’t happen.
      We have tried to modernise our business and our marketing, but if business is dead, you can’t beat it into life.
      Thus far this year, we’re quite a bit down on last year, so December isn’t looking very promising.

It’s slow, but we’re recovering

Barry Law, Men’s Shoe Centre
Durban, KZN, SA - It’s challenging. We need better political leadership and there’s no sign of that.
      We’ve been in business rescue since November 2020. We were hurt before covid – by emigration, among other things. We’ve made slow progress since then, and we recently paid the first dividend to creditors.
      We’ve reduced the business from 5 stores and a head office to 1 store, in the Pavilion, plus online, and we have 5 in-store staff, because we have to work the hours the Pavilion demands. 2 of those staff have been with us for 48 years. My son, Cameron, who was in the business, has also emigrated, but he still helps with some things.
      We still carry a very broad range of men’s footwear, from casual and formal to comfort, sport and safety, and we specialise in small and large sizes, in most cases from 5-15, with a few size 16s as well.
      On the clothing side, we still specialise in large men’s sizes, from 2x to 10x.
      That has made us a destination store, including for up-country tourists, and we were hit in July when the beaches were closed.
      When you’re in business rescue, you have to pay cash up front, but we still lost some brands. However, we’ve replaced them with others, and, if anything, we’ve done better with them.
      December is always much better than any other month, and I expect tourism to be much better. Often, when the months leading up to Christmas have been worse than usual, Christmas itself is very good. I hope so.
      For the last while, we’ve been affected by building alterations at the Pavilion, but that will be cleared up in a week. We just have to carry on!

Stock Exchange News Service (SENS)

AVI AGM

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (Friday 06 October 2023, 11.02) - AVI's annual general meeting will be held at 2 Harries Road, Illovo, Sandton, at 11:00 on Wednesday, 08 November 2023. AVI’s annual B-BBEE compliance report is available on the Company’s website.

Steinhoff final liquidation

Stellenbosch, W. Cape, SA (Friday 06 October 2023, 13.30) - It is the intention of the liquidators of Steinhoff International Holdings N.V. in liquidatie that SIHNV will be finally liquidated on Friday, 13 October 2023 from which date SIHNV and its shares shall cease to exist. The Company has a primary listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited.

Spanish September fairs ‘set trends’

IFEMA Madrid’s 4 trade fairs showcased furniture, decoration, gifts, fashion jewellery, accessories, fine jewellery, fashion, footwear and accessories

Madrid, Spain (06 October 2023) - Intergift, Bisutex, Madridjoya and MOMAD featured thousands of proposals and the best offers in furniture, decoration, gifts, fashion jewellery, accessories, fine jewellery, fashion, footwear and accessories from more than 1,500 companies and brands from 21 countries.
These data consolidate this ensemble of fairs as a commercial instrument for all their sectors, and on this occasion, offering more than 31,500 visiting professionals the possibility to make new contacts to do business, discover the latest trends, place orders, and launch new business synergies between customers and new suppliers in an environment conducive to business growth.
The keys to the proposals presented in these four events were marked by design, sustainable materials and adaptation of technology, all variables conducive to international trade and knowledge exchange.
In total, Intergift, Bisutex, Madridjoya and MOMAD occupied 7 halls at IFEMA MADRID, equivalent to 38,000 m2, on which the sectors of furniture, decoration, gift, fashion jewellery, accessories, fine jewellery, fashion, footwear and accessories were able to show all their proposals.
Speaker’s Corner at Intergift hosted fascinating presentations for the sector with topics such as the importance of lighting in shops, interior design as a generator of new business models, the trend for natural decorative elements, and even a tribute to Colombian craftsmanship with a catwalk show featuring artisans participating on the Artesanias de Colombia stand. The Gift of the Year awards were also held. Organised by the Gift Fama Association, recognising the best companies in the decoration, eco-friendliness, table and kitchen, Christmas, original gift, packaging, candles and fragrances, and souvenir categories.
      The other conference areas at these fairs were the Image Forum shared between Bisutex, Madridjoya and MOMAD, which hosted presentations on different topics of interest, such as new regulations, resource management, sustainability in the respective sectors and the inclusion of new tools for business improvement. Hall 8 also hosted the MOMAD Catwalk with more than fifteen firms, participants in Bisutex, Madridjoya and MOMAD, showing their new collections and trends.
      On Saturday, it also hosted the first edition of Fashion Inspiration Day, a training session designed to improve, develop and expand business lines for professionals in the multi-brand retail sector. Other events were Km0 Moda and ETMad, offering proximity industrial proposals from a variety of fabric, textile trimmings and accessories manufacturers. The Art and Talent space and the Futurjoya Forum were also held within the framework of Madridjoya. The first of these focused on training and Spanish jewellery, and the second was a meeting point for professionals in jewellery, gemmology and appraisal experts.
      Within the framework of the celebration of the Year of Commerce in Madrid, the Commerce of Madrid promoted by the City of Madrid, COCEM, ACOTEX, HABITAT, the Jewellers Guild, silversmiths and watchmakers of Madrid and the Association of Shoe Merchants of Madrid, together with these four fairs, handed out awards to shops such as Universo del Hogar, El Danubio Azul, Alfaro 1926, Bombay Sunset, Cocinas Alve, Muebles Noel y José Luis Gutiérrez Muñoz, Calzados Schuhe, Calzados Marina and Calzados Pradillo, Farga 1988, Yague Joyeros and Roselin Joyeros.

They Said It

"Retirement is treating me well, keeping busy in and around the house, playing golf as often as my wife allows and doing a bit of travelling to the ‘bos’. Have some contact with some of the old guard of Bolton – Cedric Novis, Marthus Louw, Marius Fereira, Ray Oosthuizen, Tom Bailey, Francois Strydom and some of the old colleagues at Oudtshoorn. Every now and then with my KwaZulu Natal friend Arveen Boodhoo. For the rest I use S&V to keep in touch with the ins and outs of the industry. So all and all – life is good." - Johan Kriel, retired, formerly Bolton Footwear, Great Brak River, W. Cape, SA.

New subscribers last week

Sandor Hanni, Business Development Manager, Hannitan Leather, South Africa
Gert, Leather Technician, Rosslyn Tannery, Pretoria, South Africa
Suleiman, Manager, Solo Shoes, Johannesburg, South Africa

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

I’d appreciate input from readers to update some of these entries.

09/10/1946: Yunus Nagdee, agent, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
09/10/1948: Ibrahim Shaikh, Hopewell Footwear, Durban, KZN, SA.
09/10/1957: RE Badenhorst, Vrystaat Huide & Velle, Kroonstad, Free State, SA.
09/10/1961: Richard Kushlick, Unique Feet, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
09/10/1971: Phoenix Wang, San Chang Import & Export, Estcourt, KZN, SA.
09/10/1992: Shane Bhima, KRB Safety & Packaging, Midrand, Gauteng, SA.
10/10/1943: Jamloot Bhagwandeen, retired, formerly Dick Whittington Shoes, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
10/10/1951: Paul Muir, Pasacojo Marketing, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
10/10/1968: Luke Barrett-Smith, Puma SA, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
10/10/1969: Nicole Benders, Prime Leathers, Pinetown, KZN, SA.
10/10/1971: Ismail Ebrahim, Jumbo Footwear, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
11/10/1956: Anita van Wyk, Shoe 4 U, Hartswater, N. Cape, SA.
11/10/1965: Delene Kapperer, Sisterhood, Pretoria, Gauteng, SA.
11/10/1965: Naresh Dewchan, Austin Footwear.
12/10/1946: Siva Pillay, Verora Paints, Chatsworth, Durban, KZN, SA.
12/10/1960: Sam Wu, Footech, Ladysmith, KZN, SA.
12/10/1962: Ronell Fromke, Super Shoes, Windhoek, Namibia.
12/10/1966: AM ‘Buddy’ Seedat, Jino’s Clothing, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
12/10/1972: Nagesh Pillai, formerly Gravel Road (closed), Chatsworth, Durban, SA.
13/10/1958: Ahmed Shaikh, Young Ideas, Greytown, KZN, SA.
14/10/1947: Rodney Bryant, A Greenaways, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
14/10/1963: Siraaj Ahmed Hassim, Classic Hawkers Centre, Laudium, Gauteng, SA.
14/10/1964: Shirleen Joubert,? formerly Edcon (closed), Durban, KZN, SA.
15/10/1949: Marianne McCulloch, retired, formerly Bolton Footwear, Oudtshoorn plant, W. Cape, SA.
15/10/1956: Joseph Chiang, Sogo Trading, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
15/10/1967: Mohammed Reyaz Moosa, Selrite Fashions, Kempton Park, Gauteng, SA.
15/10/1992: Umesan Gopal, Chillisource, Durban, KZN, SA.
15/10/19??: Corrie Jurkewitz, Shoes & More, Gansbaai, W. Cape, SA.

In memoriam this week

09/10/2015: Barry Furber, Furber & Whittle [closed], Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
09/10/2015: Steve Croudace (b. 22/06/1958), Leatherback Footwear, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
11/10/1994: Eric Ahlfeldt, Pelco, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.
11/10/2012: John Austin Rice (b. 17/06/1938), Courteney Boot, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
12/10/2001: Flaviano ‘Fluffy’ Bernardis, (b. 11/12/1944), Andreoli Shoes, Pinetown, KZN, SA.
13/10/2014: Kaps Singh (b. 08/04/1957), Famous Shoes, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
13/10/2020: Peter John Berry (b. 18/12/1935), retired, formerly Woolworths, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
15/10/????: Walter William ‘Wally’ Ballard (b. 28/11/1948), Reptile Trading Co, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
15/10/2016: Des de Wet (b. 03/12/1940), agent, Amanzimtoti, 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.

Directory entries updated last week

Kingon’s cc, East London, E. Cape, SA.
NTE Company (Pty) Ltd, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.

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 (05 October 2023) - The average hide price increased by 1.4% to R3.39/kg from R3.34/kg in the previous week. The current price is 1.4% higher than the average price a month ago and 27.0% lower than the average price a year ago. The range of prices reported was as follows: Minimum price: R2.75 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:

Kingmead Shoes, Durban, KZN, SA. Family footwear medium-chain
Kinky Shoes, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA. Men’s and women’s footwear retailer.

Contact us

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

Next newsletter: October 16, 2023.

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

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