What’s selling well? Any particular trends? Which are your best selling footwear brands – and why? Rieker continues to be our bestselling brand, due to the breadth of style and comfort, it is a name our customers know and trust. Caprice and Tamaris continue to perform, with brands like Laura Vita and Pikolinos adding to our portfolio. We find with our varied package, quality and fit are most important for us. Each brand has its own identity and that’s what makes it work for us. Colour has been critical this season too.
How important is shoe fitting to your business? Are you or any of your staff members of the Society Of Shoe Fitters? Having a good understanding of how shoes fit each individual is key to our business and we intend to have all our team members qualified in this area as one of our objectives this year.
Does your shop sell other items besides footwear, bags, gloves, tights, socks, below the ankle products? Yes, we are experimenting with add-ons, such as gloves, scarves, hats, socks and bags. Again, we feel there is some growth to be had in this area.
Do you use an EPOS (retail technology) system in your shop? No we don’t currently use an epos system. We find our manual system means that all of our team are very focused on exactly what our customers are looking for.
Any tips on stock offers, novel ideas for clearing lines or advice for independent shoe retailers who might be feeling the pinch? It is important to trust your gut instinct with any decisions. A good mix of newness and repeat business is also vital. Remaining open minded and trusting your suppliers – some more than others!- is also advised. In these more difficult times it is also important to analyse every cost to the business, where you can save money on the little things. We try to stay away from sale, instead using promotions in store to clear through for us.
What is your favourite men’s footwear brand/manufacturer – ditto ladies/children’s brand – and why? At the moment we only have a small men’s range, but have found that Pikolinos and Rieker both work really well for us. Rieker has to be our go-to ladies brand - we have customers that come back season after season for it. Lunar is our go-to fashion brand as the styles remain fresh season after season. Currently we don’t do children’s.
How do you select your products – which criteria do you use / what are your customers looking for? We rely a lot on customer feedback and constantly talking with our team. I also know to trust my gut instinct with any decisions, it always serves me well.
Which footwear/fashion shows do you attend, how do you rate them? We attend Pure and Moda – my preference is Moda as it has a far bigger collection of brands to see and is a much more comfortable trade show environment. I enjoy being able to meet other retailers, where we swap ideas and have a general catch up about the industry and what’s working well for us all.
Do you have a favourite footwear agent you can tell us about? This is a difficult question to answer as I have such good relationships with all my suppliers – I feel they do an amazing job for me and have always supported my ideas and thought processes. Earlier this year I had to be away from my business for some time and amongst others, Kevin from Rieker and John from Lunar were fantastic, going over and above in their support of my business.
Have you always had a passion for footwear? How many pairs of shoes do you own? Do you have a favourite pair? I am addicted to both shoes and fashion - my go-to shoes this season would have to be my metallic Caprice sandals, they are just so comfortable. Currently the last count was over 60 pairs - it’s official, I’m a shoe addict!
Any famous customers? We do get our fair share of celebrities in Whitstable, especially during the summer and with quite a few living very locally, this is no surprise…wouldn’t like to say who though!
And, the next step? Any plans for the future, new lines, retail systems/new technology, etc.? We’d like to be able to live off our great customer service reputation and grow our business far and wide. As previously mentioned we plan to launch our new website, plan to further develop our loyalty scheme and gain a more prominent presence on social media so that we can reach customers further afield.
Contact: Just Shoes 20 Harbour Street Whitstable Kent Ct5 1aq T: 01227 770555
AUGUST 2018 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • 31
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