COMPANY PROFILE JJ Footwear T ell us about your company history .
What’s the story behind the brand? JJ Footwear is a family owned Dutch manufacturer. The company was founded in 1922 and soon earned a reputation for the superior quality of its products. In 1992 Carl van der Putten took over as CEO. Carl identified a gap in the market when he spotted that huge numbers of women could not buy comfortable and stylish boots. The problem was because other manufacturers were producing boots to a one size fits all manufacturing philosophy. He took the then radical decision to make boots that would fit women of all shapes and sizes. Adopting the spirit of the true entrepreneur he instituted a range of ground breaking innovations to change the production process. The results today speak for themselves. The company is winning fans all over the world with its unique range which ensures any woman can be sure of finding a stylish and comfortable boot.
Do you have a brand philosophy? Yes, and it’s very simple. We believe that only by listening to our customers can our company grow. We aim to give our customers the highest quality for the fairest price. Now, that might sound easy, but it needs constant work to make it happen. As our company becomes ever more global in its reach, we are constantly evolving to meet our customer needs. After a successful launch in Germany we could have sat back. But, that is not the JJ Footwear way. Instead we engaged with our customers to see what else we could do. Because of that we have introduced a range of wide fitting ballet pumps, court shoes and loafers. In the UK we are doing the same thing and are working towards making our product range even more appealing to the UK consumer. Even though we have a long track record of success in our home country of the Netherlands, we have never believed that this would be the only model for success in the rest of the world. It is only by communicating that you discover what is best. That makes the personal touch the most important thing in our company. By listening to our customers we can grow together.
24 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • JANUARY 2012
Carl van der Putten, CEO JJ F
ootwear
What sets your products apart from the rest? Our unique production process makes all the difference. Where other manufacturers focus solely on the calf width, JJ Footwear measures four crucial dimensions. Each style of boot comes with different dimensions in calf width, ankle width, instep- width and foot width. Plus the company offers nine different calf widths from 30cm to 60cm. The result of this “confection” process is a boot that fits as well as a handmade boot but at a fraction of the cost.
Where are you based and where do you manufacture? We are a Dutch Company and are located in Waalwijk the centre of the Dutch shoe manufacturing industry. Our products are designed in The Netherlands, materials sourced in Italy and our factories are in Portugal.
How many people do you have working for you? Do you have a highturnover of staff? 12, we have a core team of people working for us, many of which have been with the Company for many years. Of course we also like to recruit new minds to help further the company and it’s products.
How do you market your ranges? We adapt our marketing campaigns for each region in which we operate. Of course we offer such a new concept in footwear one of our biggest PR tools is word of mouth. However, we have just launched a new web
site and we are in the midst of planning an exciting new consumer marketing and promotional campaign.
And, the next step? We hope that more ladies who are currently having having problems finding stylish footwear that fits them properly on the High Street, will discover our multiple width fitting boots, shoes and sandals.
Do you receive feedback from your customers?: Designed in direct response to requests received from our customers, it seems our clients are not content to wear their most cherished JJ boots in the cold, wet and snowy weather and requests have been flooding in to the office about the need for a weather proof range of boots. JJ FW have incorporated a new line of snow and rain boots into the new collection, which follow the same principles of our multiple width fitting system.
How does the trade contact you in the UK?
Please contact Nina Townsend,
The UK Business Manager on 07713 597138
email:
nina.townsend@
talktalk.net
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