What's in a name? A group of outsiders show the footwear industry how it's done.It's probably fair to say that Digital Online Retail Platforms (DORP) - better known as Veldskoen - is South Africa's first global footwear brand. The genius of its creators has been to take a generic South African name, tap into an international market create ...more

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is the leading organization for applied research in Europe. Its research activities are conducted by 72 institutes and research units at locations throughout Germany. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft employs a staff of more than 26,600, who work with an annual research budget totaling 2.6 billion euros. Of this sum, 2.2 billion euros is generated through contract research. Around 70 percent of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s contract research revenue is derived from contracts with industry and from publicly financed research projects. International collaborations with excellent research partners and innovative companies around the world ensure direct access to regions of the greatest importance to present and future scientific progress and economic development. ...more

"This last week has been good, except today, which has been absolutely dead, although Saturdays are normally busy. It's been good since the beginning of the month, but the year as a whole has been about 20% down. We're promoting ourselves through social media, and we've created a website. We wanted to try online retail, but the time ...more

In reaction to the article on Zimbabwe in S&V Footwear & Leather Goods on Friday, retired former PMC director Dieter Zettler wrote: "Like many others I feel deeply about the country as it was part of my sales portfolio between 1965 and 1975 when Rolf [Oltmanns] took it over. At the height of it, Bata in Gwelo produced 40 000 ...more

"We did a bit better this week, partly because it's the end of the month, and partly because it's looking a bit brighter. It's been a tough year." - Zoonate Alli, partner, G. Nabee & Co., Lichtenburg, NW Province, SA. Independent, 2 stores, family outfitter."Friday was reasonably busy, today has been quiet, although we ...more

"This last week has been pretty tough, but July and the first 2 weeks of August were good, which is normally the case. Our winter sale is the last week of July and the first week of August, but generally the momentum carries through to the end of August. We'll have to see whether it picks up next week again. May and June were tou ...more

"Not good. We're normally busy for about 4 days a month - from the 30th, when people get paid, and the first weekend after the 30th - usually the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The rest of the month is quiet, with upturns over weekends." - Suliman Hajat, manager, First Stop Store, Johannesburg, Gauteng, SA. Independent, 1 ...more

"Thursday and Friday were quite good, today has been fairly quiet. Month end and beginning of the month are generally okay, but it's no more like it was. I've introduced hair braids and cosmetics to the business, and they are doing well." - Shehnaz Desai, manager, Fashion Feet, KwaDukuza, KZN, SA. Independent, 1 store, mainly wo ...more

"It's been okay, not too bad. The last 7 months have been tough, with weekends and month ends okay. Hopefully with Christmas coming up it will improve. We're giving it our best shot." - Sunil Valla, director, Famous Barr, Middelburg, Mpumalanga, SA. Independent, 3 stores, men's outfitter."It's been good. We've had quite a b ...more

"It's been very quiet. Ladybrand as a whole is very quiet since the South African border post has been forcing Lesotho residents - who are the majority of the shoppers here - to queue for several hours every time they want to enter SA. Previously, they got a 6 month stamp in their passports. Footwear isn't a big part of our business, ...more

"Very tough. The month started okay - not great, but good compared to what we've had - but last week and especially this week it has been very quiet." - Nazir Laher, proprietor, Elite Same Day Shoe Repairs, Johannesburg, Gauteng. Independent, 1 store, repairer and men's footwear retailer."A bit quiet. The year started very ...more

"It's quiet at the moment. People come in and take a look, but aren't buying much. Maybe it's the time of month. It's more-or-less the same as last year." - David Novos, manager, Economic Shoe Store, Paarl, W Cape, SA. Independent, 1 store, family footwear."The week overall has been quiet, but there has been a sudden burst ...more

"It's been a bit quiet because of school holidays - a lot of our clients go away. We're a destination store both on the shoe repair side, where we are known for quality repairs, and on the comfort footwear side, where we sell branded men's and women's footwear. Our business is more-or-less evenly split between those divisions. The ye ...more

"It's month end, so it's been a bit busier. More-or-less on par with last month, I'd say." - Zane Mitha, manager, Diski Sport Retailers, Tembisa, Gauteng, SA. Independent, 1 store, sports goods specialist."Nothing great. Much the same as last month. It looks like it will be a terrible year." - Ebrahim Docrat, member, D ...more

Cape Town, W Cape, SA – Former Bolton Footwear sales development manager Jody Henry has left Bolton Footwear to join The Basic Group.       Bolton group sales & creative executive Stuart Hopwood said no-one had taken over his specific portfolio as it had been restructured. The Jordan and Reneg ...more

Johannesburg (SA) – Dangee Carken has appointed Jono Mail as the new brand manager for Roberto Morino.       He has had 15 years’ experience in the footwear industry with Norton Wellworth Agencies brands Galeon and Senor Footwear and is second generation in the footwear industry.   ...more

Durban (SA) – Angel Footwear is launching a new leather sneaker range under the label Evox. Antoine Lailvaux, the developer of this brand, describes them as "on trend fashion, whereby fashion styling and sports shoe technology hybridise to create an exciting segment of fashion footwear". - +27 (0)31 83 270 0256, ant@alage ...more

Today the USAID Hub and the Kenya Ministry of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives joined Kenya’s private sector to review and validate a new Kenya National African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Strategy. Since 2010, Kenya has nearly doubled its exports to the U.S. under AGOA, from $225 million to $389 million in 2016. The ne ...more

Saifudin Khalifa, Deputy G/M, Kadisco Paint and Adhesive Industry S.C.Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Generally the industry is developing well, particularly for the exporters. There is a forex shortage which is affecting all business in general but those companies involved in exports are faring better. What I found interesting at the ...more

Muhammad Ismail, director, American ShopPretoria, SA – I’d say our turnover is on par with last year. We service the lower end of the market and the main factors affecting our consumers are unemployment and inflation. We sell mostly brands, and we are also very badly affected by counterfeits – they sell ‘Nike&rsquo ...more

Pretoria (SA) – Following response to its earlier announcements about sports footwear design and manufacturing technology in China, the Department of Trade & Industry is keen to attract applications from a wider group of footwear factories. The offer is also open to major retailers.        The criteria would ...more

Cape Town (SA) – ‘Africa is on the Move’. A report from McKinsey & Co. saw African countries being mentioned for the first time in the list of top sourcing destinations for apparel, textiles and footwear. When survey respondents were asked if they plan to increase sourcing from African countries between now and ...more

Cape Town (SA) – Triple M Group founders Marius and Sue Mostert sold the business to undisclosed buyers as of March 1, and have retired.        The wholesale division and retail brands Shoerama, Next Step and Shoeline fall under the umbrella of newly formed parent, Triple M Footwear Company.      ...more

Large African delegations to exhibit at South Africa's Footwear, Textile & Apparel Sourcing Trade Event in MayCape Town (SA) – Source Africa, the world-class sourcing event that supports the growth and development of business, trade and economic opportunities in Africa, will take place on 24 & 25 May at the CTICC in Cape To ...more

Pretoria (SA) – The Department of Trade & Industry has arranged with China for 30 South Africans, who are already in the footwear industry, to be trained in sports footwear design and manufacturing technology in China.The 28-day course will be paid for by the Chinese Government. Successful applicants will need to pay for their ...more

Nairobi (Kenya) – During the launch of the Kenya Footwear Manufacturers Association 5 year strategic plan (2017-2022) the government continued with its commitment towards the development of the sector by announcing the setting up of a US$1 million pool for the establishment of a revolving fund to provide funds to SMEs at a preferen ...more

Cape Town (SA) – The India Leather & Footwear Trade Show will be officially opened by Dr Ivan Meyer, Minister of Finance, Western Cape Government, on Wednesday, 8 March at 10:00am in Hall 4B at the CTICC in Cape Town. The Council for Leather Exports (CLE) and Mr Puneet R Kundal, Consul General, Consulate General of India, Cape ...more

Milan (Italy) – Simac Tanning Tech, the international exhibition of machinery and technology for the footwear, leather-goods and tanning industry, closed with a two-figure increase in visitor numbers compared with 2016, which had already been a record year for the event, and recorded longer exhibition visits. Increases were also se ...more