Through the Society of Shoe Fitters, both myself and my then Footwear Manager, Emma Butler, undertook the full SSF course, whilst all our other staff (right down to the Saturday girls) had a full day’s in-store training from the SSF. We were then fully prepared to open our doors to little feet in October 2012! At the same time that the new Footwear department was taking shape in
Lymington, the owners of The Furlong Shopping Centre, Ringwood, approached us – they were interested to see if we would be keen to open a store in their Centre as we were just the sort of shop they wanted there! In our usual way, we met, viewed the premises, struck a deal and were open – wait for it – two weeks later!! So in November 2012 we opened our third High Street shop in Ringwood, this time with children’s shoes there from the off. Emma moved to manage this store, and Lauren Richards took over at Lymington along with starting her course with the SSF! This brings us up to date – 3 shops, 1 Website, 3 Store Managers, 5 Full and
Part –time staff, 3 Saturday Girls plus Hannah & I! We have very little movement on staff as we are lucky enough to employ friends, friends of friends and family, which only adds to the family feel of the business.
Do you have an online shop/website and do you use social networking for business? Our online life is very full and active – as well as our website, we have a
blog, (within our website and well worth following for info, tips, advice and insight into a family business!), we post regularly on Facebook, we tweet on Twitter, we pin on Pinterest and chat on Google+!! Modern life determines that businesses engage with Social Networking –
not to do so is to miss a trick- so personal feelings about the merits of this important tool aside, we would advise to get online and get out there!
How are you finding the footwear market currently? As newcomers to this part of our business, we are seeing customers build
slowly in Lymington, sales are much quicker to develop at Ringwood (possibly because the Footwear area is much more readily visible and that all customers have seen we are professional shoe-fitters from the start) Winning Best Independent Children’s Retailer at the National Footwear
awards has been a high point and a tremendous accolade for us and particularly our wonderful staff – after all – they are more often than not the first point of reference any customer experiences! This award has proved to be a great marketing tool, and we have used it
to our full advantage with our suppliers, even those from non-footwear backgrounds, getting behind us in support of our marketing campaign.
What’s selling well? Any particular trends? Which are your best selling footwear brands – and why? To date our best selling brands have been Pediped and Angulus. Pediped
are a fantastic brand and have been a big hit with our first and early walkers – Mums love the styling, the price point and the fit. Angulus have been big for us on the web and instore as they appeal to the high end market and are not really offered locally to us.
Any difficulties/problems? It would be untrue to say it has all been plain sailing! This last quarter with an unrelenting winter has been a tough trading place for any retail business. Getting stock levels right continues to be a dark art, which we are still trying to master! Keeping control of Cashflow will always be the key to success in any
business, and is a daily conundrum! Having a ‘To Do’ list that grows in length each day. Yet, these are the challenges of any business in today’s climate, so no nothing out of the ordinary!
Any tips on stock offers, novel ideas for clearing lines or advice for independent shoe retailers who might be feeling the pinch? We have just run a campaign offering Half Price trainers with every shoe
purchase, and whilst this has brought customers in very few have actually taken up the offer – so it has in fact been a great tool for getting customers in-store!
What is your favourite men’s footwear brand/manufacturer – ditto ladies/children’s brand – and why? I’m still a fan of Start-rite (as are many of our customers) – it’s the history
of the brand that has crept into the public’s sense of heritage and Britishness I suppose – the sheer longevity of this great brand speaks volumes.
How do you select your products – which criteria do you use / what are your customers looking for?
Hannah and I decided at the outset that when choosing products we both
had to agree upon the saleability of the item- this has had the fortunate effect of stocking brands that cross generations of taste, catering to the young fashionable Mum and the more traditional Grandparent (although it is just as likely that the Grandparent be fashionable and the young mum traditional these days!)
Which footwear/fashion shows do you attend, how do you rate them? For footwear alone just Moda, but the shows we attend are many and varied and include Top Drawer, Pulse, Bubble etc
Do you have a favourite footwear agent? We are very fond of Matt at Pediped, possibly because that was where we
placed our very first order for shoes, but having said that, we have great relationships with all our reps/agents and are very lucky to work with such a lovely group of people!
Have you always had a passion for footwear? How many pairs of shoes do you own? Do you have a favourite pair? What woman doesn’t love shoes – we’ve all fallen in love from the very
first pair and can recall clip-clopping in Mummy’s ones! Firstly, shoes always fit even when clothes don’t, secondly, they finish an
outfit and can make a statement that no other accessory can – (think Dorothy!) Thirdly, whether in a row in a shop or in a row in the cupboard at home – shoes just make you feel better, plus there is such variety to collect! I am a boot and sandal person so the number of actual shoes I own is not
that great, but ask me how many different pairs of footwear I own and you’d have to start calling me Imelda!
And, the next step? Any plans for the future, new lines, retail systems/new technology, etc.? We really want to bed down the three shops over the coming year and to
really concentrate on our building our website and increasing traffic through the website and social networking. On the horizon is a mobile website as this looks to be a great new market. Oh, and maybe a holiday some day…………
Belle Enfants
www.belleenfants.co.uk
Lymington 01590 677309 Ringwood 01425 475997
sales@belleenfants.com
SEPTEMBER 2013 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
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