Why I Buy by Jim Luck, Director of Footwear Retailers Luck of Louth
S
ome years ago when I founded our clothing business I decided that part of the product offer should include men's footwear. Needing to source formal shoes I approached Loake Bros who like me were on a
journey of fairly rapid expansion. Their agent, Steve Smith, was informed of my interest and duly presented himself at my shop where we both concluded that it was appropriate to embark upon a business relationship which continues to this day.
Sometime later whilst on one of his regular visits to my shops he mentioned in passing that he had taken on the agency of a ladies shoemaker from Germany called Waldlaufer. At the time we were riding on the crest of a retail footwear wave driven by Crocs and Fitflop, both of which at the time were established primarily in the ladies footwear business and both of which were experiencing exponential growth, not just as companies, but also within my business. Never being one to pass up a potential opportunity I asked to have a look at Waldlaufer reckoning that there might be even more mileage still in ladies footwear, liked what I saw and bought a few lines to place alongside the other footwear brands - it has been a perennial joke between Steve Smith, me and David and Rosemary Bailey (main UK agents for Waldlaufer) that I was this menswear shop that sold ladies footwear.
They sold! Steady, if unspectacular business, but nevertheless a welcome
extra revenue source. But that isn't the end of the story! 3 years ago I opened a standalone shoe shop, perceiving there was a gap in the market in our town for a specialist footwear shop trading in medium to better end products. Needless to say Waldlaufer went to the shoe shop and from strength to strength.
There are many reasons we footwear retailers buy as we do. Some of which include, quality, value, pricing, margin, service, trading terms, design and fit. Most suppliers tick most of these boxes, there are very few that tick all of them. Well, returning to the original question, Waldlaufer tick more boxes than any other supplier to our shoe shop. Unbelievably, they will make us single specials at no extra charge and supply them carriage free - the latter service applying to every pair they send us plus we still receive the original exemplary service from Steve Smith, David and Rosemary Bailey and Waldlaufer themselves.
“Waldlaufer tick more boxes than any other supplier to our shoe shop. They will make us single specials at no extra charge and supply them carriage free - the latter service applying to every pair they send us”.
Designs range from the traditional to the fashionable; products from
pumps to boots. The quality is terrific (returns and faulty products - there aren't very many - are dealt with quickly, usually by means of a short chat between us and the Baileys), there are multiple width fittings, half sizes throughout the range, an instock service, no silly minimum orders, line stipulations or pack sizes. The pricing provides us the opportunity for good margin and the settlement terms are generous.
To borrow a current phrase "what's not to like?” Luck of Louth • Tel: 01507 600768 or 01507 607746 • Email:
enquiries@luckoflouth.co.uk •
www.luckoflouth.co.uk
14 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• JANUARY 2014
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