S&V Weekly Newsletter Vol.9 No.47, November 20 2023

Download PDF

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

Black Friday

Boardriders: Stock position better than last year, so shorter BF period

Dane Patterson, sales & marketing manager
Durban, KZN, SA - We’re pretty much on a winning formula that we’ve been repeating for several years, although this year we will be a little less aggressive because we aren’t in the overstocked position we were last year.
      Last year we started a week before by offering our club members early access to the online specials. This year we’ve cut 2 days off ecommerce, and both it and instore specials for club members open today. For others online opens on Friday.
      We offer up to 50% off on current and older season stock. We determine the slow sellers by their sell-off history over an 8-week cycle.
      Last year, we were overstocked instore and in the warehouse, but the problem has corrected itself quite nicely.
      Unlike some other brands, we don’t have exactly the same merchandise on promotion via ecommerce and instore. They have different sell-off rates.

Sneakers International: Not for us

Gill Moss, financial manager
Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA - As we are based in the airports, we don’t do anything special for Black Friday.  We have tried it in the past and it just does not work for us.

The Year So Far

Queue: A tough year, but optimistic

Steve Miller, director
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA - 2023 has yet again been an extremely challenging year, with winter sales below expectations. We have however seen an improving trend from early October, with November to date also reasonable. We are not too concerned about customers holding back for Black Friday, as the Queue customer is looking for the right product, and less about shopping for a bargain. Cape Town tourism establishments are reporting good bookings this year, and our stores are well positioned to benefit from holiday makers. This should result in a decent December & January.
      We have restructured ourselves as a niche retail business in the Western Cape, positioned in the more upmarket community-based shopping centres. We have recently relaunched our queueshoes.com online site, so customers outside of the W. Cape can still access our range. Previously this was done from warehouse, but parcels are now being despatched from stores which reduces expenses significantly, and is more stock efficient.
      With the smaller footprint, extra effort is going into offering a more exclusive collection of product. Leather, and trending brands being of particular focus.

Manufacturing

Allimor Footwear: ‘Still trading’

Durban, KZN, SA - Allimor Footwear cc has NOT closed, member Morris Marimuthoo said last week.       The factory, which specialises in making women’s synthetic upper sandals under house brands for privately-owned mini-chains and chains has, however, scaled back production from up to 7 000 pairs a day to “whatever orders we get”.
      “The biggest problem for us is that people keep saying we’re closed. We’re not. We were closed for the first 3 months of the year because we had no orders. Now we’re in survival mode, we have cut our staff and production, but we’re still manufacturing.
      “Our customers aren’t selling as many shoes as they used to, so they’re not ordering as many shoes. We need to expand our customer base.”

In case you missed it!

The November issue of S&V African Leather Magazine

CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT ONLINE

S&V AFRICAN LEATHER MAGAZINE VOL17 No11 November 2023

IN THIS ISSUE:

02 Sam Setter’s ‘Pills’
- A new quip from Sam Setter in each issue.

04 Upfront
- Wet blue: Brits Leathers contract tanning only, says Willem Ebersohn.
- Footwear upper leathers: Loss of a wet blue supplier a concern, but Fusion ‘cautiously optimistic’, says Denzil Spolander.
- Crocodile: A lesson from the lower end – when standards go up, they become entrenched, but prices don’t necessarily follow, says Le Croc’s Stefan van As.
- Game skins: Navigating the complex non-trade aspects of the CITES trade convention, says SATTA’s Pieter Swart.
- Game skins: Legacy Exotic Leather plans small plant for top quality, says Johnny Kleynhans, who also comments on ‘problem animal’ control.

10 An Eclectic View
- Powered by the Sun: Solar power can address both sustainability issues and SA’s electricity problems, by H. Procter.

14 Decoding Tanning Science
- The effect of calcium concentration in delimed hides on the efficiency of bating, by the ISTT’s Dr Clive Jackson-Moss.

16 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.

17 Notice Board
- Geoff Holmes is the new vice president of the IULTCS..

18 Trade Statistics
- SA hides, skins, and leather trade statistics for September 2023, issued by SARS.



Advertisers in this Issue
APLF (03), Authenticae (05), Cape Karoo International (07), Evolution Engineering (01), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (09), Mimosa (11), Rolfes Leather Division (13), S&V Calendar (08), S&V Directory (17), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (14), Stahl (OFC), Sustainable Leather Foundation (02).

They Said It

"My life has returned to normal chaos." - Stefan van As, director of Le Croc, Mogwase, N.W. Province, SA.

New subscribers last week

Theresa Barnard, Self employed leatherworker, Old Bull Leather, Brandfort, Free State, 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

20/11/1964: Jessica Han, Gutsy, Bloemfontein, Free State, SA.
20/11/1987: Jonathan Colloty, left the industry, formerly Michelle Footwear, Durban, KZN, SA.
20/11/19??: Vis Moodley, KwaZulu Shoe Co, Estcourt, KZN, SA.
21/11/1950: JK Strydom, Werda Humansdorp Beleggings, Humansdorp, E. Cape, SA.
23/11/1938: David Wilson, retired, resident in George, formerly Barker Footwear, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
23/11/1959: Bernice Kalakazinos, Toffee Clothing, St Francis Bay, E. Cape, SA.
23/11/1966: Cornelio M Sunduza, Dadu Leathers Zimbabwe.
23/11/1970: Premilla Govender, Dynamic Engineering, Durban, KZN, SA.
23/11/1987: Phelokazi Gxaba, Retailability, Durban, KZN, SA.
24/11/1955: Surie Mistry, Super Star Fashions, Vereeniging, Gauteng, SA.
25/11/1952: Elaine Botha, Velle Shoppe, Heidelberg, Gauteng, SA.
25/11/1972: Fiona Dale, AFD Industries, Pretoria, Gauteng, SA.
25/11/1977: Wayne Hockly, Sondor Industries, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
26/11/19??: Ed Duthie, retired, formerly Bata Zimbabwe.
26/11/1953: Gerry du Toit, retired, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA, formerly EVA Components, Durban, KZN.
26/11/1967: Preggie Govender, Dynamic Engineering, Durban, KZN, SA.
26/11/1972: Brenda Kriel, Vellie Boutique, Boksburg, Gauteng, SA.
26/11/1974: Salman Jonas, Fred Footwear, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.

In memoriam this week

20/11/1997: Christian Larkins (b. 01/07/51), Interchem, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
21/11/2009: Terry Batchelor (b. 30/10/1942), Intershu, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
21/11/2016: Ronnie Jones (b. 19/11/1949), Apeco [closed], Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
22/11/1992: Jimmy Shankland, Angels Shoes [closed], Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
22/11/1994: Chris Claassen, Bata Shoes SA, Pinetown, KZN, SA.
23/11/2018: Peter Shiffer (b. 17/10/1949), Flexmor [closed], Cape Town, W. 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.

Directory entries updated last week

Knight’s Shoes, Grahamstown, E. Cape, SA.
La Ricci Leathers, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
Queue Shoes [Wild Alice Collection (Pty) Ltd], Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.

Trade fairs updated last week

2024 09 02-06 Electra Mining, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
2025 11 04-07 A+A 2025, Düsseldorf, Germany.

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 (16 November 2023) - The average hide price decreased by 1.6% to R3.23/kg from R3.28/kg in the previous week. The current price is 4.2% lower than the average price a month ago and 30.1% lower than the average price a year ago. The range of prices reported was as follows: Minimum price: R2.57 Maximum price: R3.50. 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

Classified Adverts

Contact us

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

Next newsletter: November 27, 2023.

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

Our website www.svmag.co.za