NEWS
Major fairs change schedules
The Micam ShoEvent has changed the dates of its next show from Sept. 15-18 to Sept. 19-22, starting on a Sunday rather than a Tuesday. The reason given by the organizers is that this will allow small retailers to visit the fair on Sunday and spend the rest of the week in their stores. The GDS and its sister fair in Düsseldorf, Global Shoes, will stick to the previously planned schedule on Sept. 10-12. Starting next year, instead, the two German fairs will be held from Wednesday to Friday, instead of Friday to Sunday schedule, to allow retailers to keep their attention on their own shops on Saturday. Next year’s dates are March 16-18 and Sept. 10-12. Saturday was the weakest day at the latest edition of the GDS and Global Shoes, held on March 12- 14. The fair counted a total of about 29,500 daily visits by trade visitors, compared with about 30,000 one year ago. GDS had 760 exhibitors and Global Shoes had 360, for a total of 1,120, down by 5 %. Held in Milan on March 2-5, the latest Micam drew a total of
36,623 registered visitors, just a handful more than in 2009. Organizers noted that retailers tended to send fewer representatives this year, so the number was notable. Attendees were broken down into 17,687 Italians and 18,936 foreigners, with strong presence from Spain, France and Germany. The show featured 1,597 companies, 591 of them from outside Italy. Increases were seen in visitors from Spain, Russia and its former states, and the U.S., possibly indicating strengthening demand from those important markets. The more generalist CPH Vision fair in Copenhagen, where
many shoe companies exhibit, will continue to be held on Saturday, but its duration has been shortened from four to three days, starting on Thursday, Aug. 12. The simultaneous CIFF fashion fair will start on Thursday and run through Sunday.
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Comment –
Nigel Hamilton, IFRA President
The North Antrim coast is famous for having the first world’s first commercially run 'hydro-electric' powered tram system, which started running in 1883. By 1949, the growing popularity of the motor car forced the sad closure of this once great tourist attraction. Forty years after the last tram had passed through the town of Bushmills, a local minister noted that the times of his Sunday services were still centred around a timetable that had disappeared four decades earlier. The strength of old habits has been
brought into sharp focus in our own business by the introduction of a new General Manager. My response to his question , ‘why do you do it that way’ has too often been,
‘that’s the way it’s
always been done’. The Spanish have a proverb, ‘habits
begin as cobwebs but end up as cables’. One of the strengths of independent retailers is that we tend to have a smaller staff turnover and a more
experienced workforce. However, there is one blind spot we need to be careful about; a lack of fresh ideas. The same eyes, seeing the same things every day, can begin to stop noticing problems. I have to confess that our new manager has picked up on things that should have been obvious and should have been a priority, but in our busy lives the urgent often gets priority over the important. So here is my radical idea, find a retailer you know (not a competitor, the larger the
distance the better) and invite him or her to visit your store. Then over a meal (you are buying) let them to tell you what you are doing well and what you could do better. The results may dent your ego, but it may give you an idea that really boosts your business, plus it will be a heck of a lot cheaper than a slick consultant.
Cherry Blossom report annual sales increase in excess of 15%
Cherry Blossom, the Derbyshire based manufacturer of a wide range of shoe care products, has registered a 15% plus increase in sales over the last twelve months – in spite of the downturn in the overall economy. The original, and now the only UK manufacturer of these products, the company has seen sales grow in both its branded and own label businesses and has high hopes of its recently launched new range, “Cherry Blossom Premium”. Having a high tech manufacturing capability in the heart of the UK makes it an attractive proposition for those brands looking to offer shoe care products
to complement their established footwear ranges or services. They can take advantage of both short lead times to respond to customer demand and order in quantities that will assist their cash flow. As well as producing these items for a number of well known footwear brands, Cherry Blossom’s manufacturing expertise and capabilities enable it to
work with companies like Mr Timpson and high street retailer Debenhams to come up with shoe care ranges for their customers. The six hundred plus outlets that make up the Mr Timpson operation can now rely on British manufacturing and the one hundred and five Debenhams
outlets now have a fully merchandised operation with the exclusive launch of “Cherry Blossom Premium” - a range of products that benefit from extensive market research on both formulation and performance. “Having a modern manufacturing plant in the UK gives us the ability to respond quickly to market trends. We also make our products to the highest
specifications with the best standards of quality control in place and we can provide customers with a prompt delivery service to meet their needs”, says Sales Director David Watkins.
www.cherryblossom.co.uk
www.footweartoday.co.uk
APRIL 2010 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
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