We also recently secured a government-funded Coronavirus Business


Interruption Loan (CBIL) from Barclays which allowed us to focus on the future, helping us with our rent payments, as well as paying suppliers and staff. Since re-opening we have limited the number of people we can have in the shops and are encouraging people to book appointments for fittings. Our staff wear PPE and we clean and sanitise throughout the day and extensively after closing. We are also using technology to develop our business and have installed a new online booking system that is working well. Our customers and staff are very happy with our new adjustments, and things are running smoothly. Although we are not yet at the level of trade from last year, we are glad to be open and serving our customers again.


Do you have an online shop/website and do you use social networking for business? Was this active during the lockdown? We have two websites – Edward Meeks sells high-end men’s shoes including Church, Barker, and Loake, and Meeks Shoes sells shoes for the whole family including Clarks, Skechers, and Kickers. We were very grateful to be able to continue selling online during lockdown, and actually saw our online sales increase by 200%. We know that social networking is only going to increase in importance, so this is something we are keen to continue building on.


What’s selling well? Any particular trends? Which are your best-selling footwear brands – and why? Brands that are doing extremely well at the moment are Clarks, Skechers, and Ecco, most likely as they are well established and are our largest offering in store and online. We are also noticing that the trend towards casuals and sports shoes is continuing to grow for us, which is exciting to see!


What is your favourite men’s footwear brand/manufacturer – ditto ladies/children’s brand – and why? At the moment I like Skechers for kids. They are on-trend and fun, with great colours and lights. As for men’s shoes, I like Ecco shoes – they are extremely comfortable, and the waterproof ones are a necessity in the winter. For women, I would say my favourite is Lunar as they are colourful and great value for money.


How do you select your products – which criteria do you use / what are your customers looking for? Luck, and a few years of experience! It can be very difficult to pick winners. What sells well this year doesn’t necessarily mean that it will sell well next year. We know our market well but even between our shops we tend to sell very different styles.


Do you have a favourite footwear agent you can tell us about? We have built up great relationships with our footwear agents over time, and it is also their expertise in the market that helps us decide on which brands our customers will love.


Have you always had a passion for footwear? I have always enjoyed being in the shoe trade and I love selling – a winning combination! Footwear is a very friendly industry and I have met some wonderful people over the years. People are very reliable, and everyone is there to help each other do well, so it’s a great community to be a part of.


Any famous customers?


Funnily enough, I support Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjr came into our Alderley Shop recently. I am gutted I wasn’t there at the time, but I got told about it straight away – not to make me jealous, I’m sure!


Do you have any plans for the future? While we expect the next 12 months to be tough, we’ve adjusted to all the social distancing and hygiene measures necessary, so our stores remain safe for customers. At the moment we are focused on continuing sales and being there for our customers. We have been trading for 120 years and we have no intention of stopping now!


Contact: John Meeks, Meeks Shoes. Address: Ashton HQ – Meeks Shoes, 21 Staveleigh Mall, LadySmith Shopping Centre, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancashire, OL6 7JJ


Tel: 0161 330 6469 Web: www.meeksshoes.co.uk |


www.edwardmeeks.co.uk


SEPTEMBER 2020 • FOOTWEAR TODAY


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