FOOT CARE Are you ready for this? I


n the late 20th century a visitor to a garden centre would expect to be confronted with all things horticultural. Now the Garden Centre has become an emporium of Aladdin’s Cave proportions and variety where you are offered a comprehensive “retail experience” and where the


biggest profit generator is likely to be food & beverage! While, supermarkets now offer not just grocery items but can also justifiably portray themselves as retailers of clothing, electrical goods, pharmaceutical products, DVDs, wines and spirits and even financial services. These and other retail sectors have evolved considerably in the last 40


years, immeasurably increasing the product portfolio on offer to their customers – based on market research.


In contrast, the vast majority of


today’s shoe retailing outlets are very similar both in design and product offering as those operating in the 1970’s and 80’s. Is it time for a change? Why can’t shoe retailers follow the example of others and build on the knowledge of their customer base and extend their product offering to them? The most obvious add-ons are shoe care and shoe accessory products –


particularly those that provide comfort and relief to the feet such as insoles and gel pads to prevent blisters, relieve pressure on the ball and heel of the foot and provide arch support. Everyone appreciates the pain and discomfort caused by aching feet. Manufacturers of these products have become increasingly


It is with this in mind that Grangers, who manufacture the Cherry Blossom and Cherry Blossom Premium shoe care brands in the UK, have entered


into a distribution agreement with BNS, the leading European shoe care accessory company based in Mainz, Germany, to launch the “Saicara” range BNS have created the Saicara range to cross the divide between medical


and cosmetic foot care. Originally developed to introduce a new lifestyle of discovery ethic in the specialist shoe trade, the brand has quickly become increasingly popular amongst podiatrists, cosmetic studios and wellness- orientated markets and department stores across Europe. With a core range of eleven foot care products, the range uses botanicals


as their active ingredients. Saicara has picked up on the gap in the market between brands such as Dr Scholl and professional beauty brands such as Jessica or OPI, who retail their products exclusively through beauty salons and spas. “Saicara is a ground-breaking range, as it is one of the few ranges that


allows the consumer to create a full pedicure in their own home, as well as address specific foot issues,” said Sales Director of Grangers, David Watkins.


sophisticated in the design, practical application and benefits these products provide. Furthermore they are attractively packaged, offer excellent advice on how to get the best results and manufacturers usually offer free standing merchandising units and POS material with the first order. They also offer excellent margins! Some Shoe Retailers reject stocking these ranges because they claim


there is no market for them! You only have to walk into pharmaceutical outlets, department stores and supermarkets to immediately gain enough evidence to completely refute this stance! Furthermore there is a growing tendency for chiropodists and podiatrists


to augment the fees they receive for consultation and treatments by selling not just inserts to shoes but shoes themselves! If we take a look at what has been happening across the pond in the USA and Canada the evidence makes a compelling case.


Implus is the leader in the “below the ankle” and footwear accessory market worth $1 billion p.a.


the North American continent it supplies 75,000 retailers and it exports to 65 countries. Sales of these types of products are increasing at a healthy rate here in the UK, but are shoe retailers getting their share? The same question can be asked of footwear retailers in relationship to


products for “foot care”, “foot pampering” and “foot fragrance” – the obvious next logical market sector to consider after footwear accessories and “below the ankle” products. The market for “foot care” products in the UK is already estimated to be worth £15 million p.a. and shoe retailers are not benefitting to anywhere near the extent they should.


24 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • OCTOBER 2010 In


Why can’t shoe retailers follow the example of others and build on the knowledge of their customer base and extend their product offering to them?


The best selling products include Foot Balm, Foot Peeling, Foot Massage


Gel and Foot Butter which include ingredients such as Jojoba Oil, Aloe Vera, Papaya Extract, Lemon and Rice Grain Oil, all of which have moisturising and soothing properties. Specific care products include Foot Repair, to deal with hard, cracked skin, Foot Smooth, a double-sided foot file and Foot Fresh & Silk, a deodorant protector for feet. Each of these products is labelled for “delicate feet” to ensure the consumer differentiates from podiatry products that have medical claims. In the UK, Grangers believe that Saicara will make a welcome addition to


up-sell opportunities for foot wear retailers. David Watkins said, “The key for retailers is that Saicara is a desirable purchase, rather than functional. Many customers will welcome the opportunity to purchase foot care products that are “endorsed” by the people they trust to purchase foot wear from. Because these are cosmetic products they have great fragrances, feel wonderful on the skin and give the client a lift in the same way that shoe purchases do and we expect Saicara’s presence to add a genuinely new income stream to retailers. Furthermore the cosmetics market has, so far, been recession-proof and the forecast is for strong growth over the next five years”.


To find out more visit www.saicara.de or call Granger’s on 01773 521521


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