S&V Weekly Newsletter Vol.10 No.17, April 22 2024

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Online retailer Temu selling illegal safety footwear in SA

Umhlanga, KZN, SA – An investigation by SAFLIA has shown that online retailer Temu, which officially launched in South Africa on 17 January, is selling non-compliant safety footwear in SA.       SAFLIA signed up to the site and ordered a style labelled as ‘Men's Summer Mesh Steel Toe Shoes Breathable Work Safety Shoes Industrial Construction Sneakers Walking’ for which it paid R679, including 30% import duty, marked down from R1129.
      All safety footwear in SA must be approved by the National Retailer for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) as being compliant with the safety standard ISO 20345 and its SA equivalent, SANS 20345. Each approved style is issued with a number which must be permanently attached to the shoe.
      In terms of separate country of origin legislation, all imported footwear must have the country of origin permanently attached to the shoe. The ‘made in China’ information on the shoes was on the same adhesive – i.e. impermanent – sticker identifying the materials used – in this case, rubber or plastic and textile upper, rubber or plastic lining and sock, and rubber or plastic sole.
      The NRCS was approached for comment on Friday, and this morning replied: “This communication serves to inform you that proper investigation into the matter below will be done. As the CMM department we wish to extend our appreciation for your assistance in making sure that the market is removing the non-compliant commodities and that everyone in the industry complies to the rules and regulations.”
      Temu was approached for comment via its customer service site. It responded that it has a legal team that checked legal requirements in all markets it served.
      “Temu has bypassed the whole NRCS system,” SAFLIA executive director Jirka Vymĕtal said on Friday. “This product should have been stopped by Customs. The NRCS has to act to stop it.
      “Frankly, the safety footwear being offered by Temu is a threat to the entire safety footwear industry in SA, importers as well as manufacturers. Compliant safety footwear suppliers have to fund the cost of compliance.”
      He said the application of duties on the shoes was also being investigated by SAFLIA.
Note: This is an ongoing article.

Trading conditions

Paulo Da Silva, director, Eagle Clothing/Clothing City Plus
Cape Town, W. Cape, SA – We had an exceptional year last year, no complaints. September and October were a bit challenging because of the rugby, but for many people a pint and a braai were more important than shopping.
      January and February were pretty consistent. March was tough, but still slightly up on last year.
      One thing I have noticed is that since covid, Sundays generally, public holidays, long weekends, and Easter are now a write off – a lot of people go away, and they can’t afford to travel and shop – cash is limited.
      We were pretty much on the back foot at the beginning of April, but since cold weather started there has been an uptick.
      It has been quite stressful trying to get stock into port – in fact, a nightmare. It used to take 35-40 days to get stock into our DC after shipping, but this year it took 3 months. But we are there now, and trade has improved.
      Overall, margins have decreased, and inflation has been unreal. As retailers, we must wheel and deal, and offer value. We are spending a lot on marketing, working social media, getting the brand right, being aggressive, because we have to trade.
      The election has been a spanner in the works, and we see a resistance to opening wallets. We hope the outcome is positive. We have to get through it, and after a couple of months it should be okay. We have to keep on getting ahead.

In case you missed it!

The April issue of S&V African Leather Magazine

CLICK HERE TO VIEW IT ONLINE

S&V AFRICAN LEATHER MAGAZINE VOL18 No4 April 2024

IN THIS ISSUE:

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

03 An Eclectic View
- Artificial Intelligence: Much has been written about AI, so correspondent H. Procter tried it out to put together an article on the future of the tanning industry – and found it, frankly, underwhelming.

06 Decoding Tanning Science
- The potential of water hyacinth as a source of vegetable tannins: The ISTT’s Dr Clive Jackson-Moss reviews a paper about a problem plant – and South Africa has tons of it to get rid of.

08 Leather, Its Image & Its Place In The World
- Tanners worry whether they can make leather profitably if they switch to sustainable methods, writes the Sustainable Leather Foundation’s Deborah Taylor. The truth is that they won’t be able to make leather at all without it.
- Proposed trade bans on game skins and hunting trophies threaten South Africa’s job creating and wildlife conserving game industry, writes Sustainable Use Coalition chairman Pieter Swart.

13 Technology
- Keep control of the data, and all else follows – Hüni AG Process Controls’ Everton Mateus Jacobsen explains the benefits of the company’s DataCollect and Advanced Planning System solutions.

17 Weights & Measures
- Compiled by the ISTT.

18 Sustainability
- Archroma, G-Star RAW and Advance Denim unite to develop cleaner denim production.

19 Fairs & Events
- Successful APLF return to Hong Kong ‘tempered by slow market demand’.
- As leather seeks to claw back share from sneakers, ‘ACLE has the role of reinvigorating China’s industry’.

21 Agriculture
- Sappi’s Pelletin achieves feed safety assurance certification for its lignin-based animal feed additive.
- SA beef exports hit 7-year high in January.



Advertisers in this Issue
All China Leather Exhibition (ACLE) (07), Authenticae (05), Hüni AG Process Controls (OFC), International School of Tanning Technology (ISTT) (09), Mimosa (12), Rolfes Leather Division (16), S&V Calendar (01), S&V Directory (04), Southern African Footwear & Leather Export Council (SAFLEC) (19), Sustainable Leather Foundation (02).

They Said It

"Rwanda? Why did they pick Rwanda? Why aren’t they still using Australia?" - UK expat, who shall remain nameless, on the (on the face of it, very strange) UK Government proposal to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

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

New subscribers last week

Lisa Evans, Financial manager, Maverick Distributors, Roodepoort, Gauteng, South Africa
Yamkela Mahlangeni, Factory Manager, Make My Shoes, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Birthdays this week

22/04/1959: John Comley, Celrose, Stanger, KZN, SA.
22/04/1959: Richard Louw, Quality Store, Ellisras/Lephalale, Limpopo, SA.
22/04/1986: Shaun Moodley, BM Agencies, Durban, KZN, SA.
23/04/1951: Jerry Pillay, Triple S Footwear, Durban, KZN, SA.
24/04/1958: Mahomed Farhad Casoojee, agent, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
24/04/????: Presheen Jankee, Leatherhaven, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
24/04/1992: Andreas Joss, Ally Shoes, Hermanus, W. Cape, SA.
25/04/1955: Maryrose Lesalaisa, Cee Dee Footwear, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
25/04/1963: Neil Barnes, Millbrook Trading, Durban, KZN, SA.
25/04/1971: Clinton Cloete, BBF Footwear, Port Elizabeth, E. Cape, SA.
26/04/1943: Juan Lichnovsky, retired back to Chile, formerly Futura Footwear (now Bata SA), Pinetown, KZN, SA.
26/04/1953: Rodney Hill, left the industry, formerly Prime Leathers, Pinetown, KZN, SA.
26/04/1964: Desmond Swartz, DS Agencies, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.
26/04/1965: Faizel Jeewa, Traford Footwear, Durban, KZN, SA.
26/04/1982: Keaton Quarmby, Falke Eurosocks, Cape Town, W. Cape, SA.
26/04/1982: Gavin Roberts, Freesurf Agencies, Scottburgh, KZN, SA.
27/04/1944: Kelly Smith, agent.
27/04/1964: Francois Strydom, formerly Bolton Footwear, Great Brak River, Dick Whittington Shoes, Pietermaritzburg, SA.
27/04/1968: Wyatt Brodie, left the industry, formerly Polo SA, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA.

In memoriam this week

22/04/2007: Louise Cowie (b.05/06/?), GW Cowie & Co, Durban, KZN, SA.
23/04/2012: Chris van der Merwe (b.05/04/1945), Oasis Tanning, Krugersdorp, Gauteng, SA.
26/04/2005: Bryan Dean (b. 09/01/1939), Amber Footwear [closed], Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
26/04/2012: Roy Eckstein (b. 22/10/1941), Jaguar Shoes, Amshoe [both closed], Pietermaritzburg, KZN, SA.
26/04/2018: Alan Hornby (b. 16/08/1961), Topline Agencies, Johannesburg, Gauteng, 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 this week

Binga Crocodile Farm (Pvt) Ltd [part of the Zambezi Grace group], Binga, Zimbabwe.
Zambezi Grace [Chataprop 85 (Pty) Ltd] [part of the Zambezi Grace group], Umdloti, KZN, SA.
Zambezi Tanners (Pvt) Ltd [part of the Zambezi Grace group], Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

3. Malawian Kwacha (MWK)

Source: https://www.rbm.mw/

4. Zambian Kwacha (ZMW)

Source: https://www.boz.zm/

5. Zimbabwe Dollar (ZWL$) (average) / Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG)

Source: Source: https://www.rbz.co.zw/

Note: For previous rates, see HERE

ABSA Agri Trends: Hides & skins prices

Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA (18 April 2024) - The average hide price decreased by 5.8% to R3.21/kg from R3.43/kg a week ago. The current price is 2% lower than the average price a month ago and 4.9% lower than the average price a year ago. The range of prices reported was as follows: Minimum price: R3.00 Maximum price: R3.25. 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:

Style America Sports, Pretoria, Gauteng, SA. Clothing and sports retailer.
Style Metrics, Lusaka, Zambia. Women’s clothing retailer.

Contact us

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

Next newsletter: April 22, 2024. Ad and editorial deadline Friday 19 April.

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

Our website www.svmag.co.za