PROFILE
Independent Footwear Retailer of the Month
Jack Cheeseman, Footwear & Fashion Today Editor, talks to independent footwear retailer Samantha Pritchard, Director of It’s Feet First – a kids shoe store in the medieval market town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire.
Q&A
Name: Samantha Pritchard Shop: It’s Feet First
Brands: Clarks, Skechers, Ricosta, Bobux
Q: How did you get into footwear? Tell us about your background and your current business? Samantha: I started working in the footwear sector back in 2010 with Jones Bootmaker. The company went through many changes over that time with different owners that came with a lot of changes to the business; this included the end of selling children’s footwear. With this, in 2017 we identified a gap in the market to open a children’s-only footwear store that could solely focus on children and ensure we offered good quality footwear that was fitted correctly.
Q: Tell us about the history of your shop and how the business have evolved. Samantha: We are just heading into our ninth year in business, but between us in the business we have 16 years of shoe fitting experience. We are lucky enough to be situated in the lovely town of Shrewsbury at the top of Wyle Cop, which is famous for its longest run of independent businesses. Our customers value the independent businesses that are in the area and they still very much understand how important children’s foot health is. They realise the importance of getting feet measured and finding good fitting shoes. Shoe fitting is the number one element of our business. We also get to see the overall foot health of children coming to see us, so it’s not just about fitting shoes. I’ll admit that until I worked in the footwear sector I didn’t understand how important feet can be and just how much poor footwear can affect your overall health. With children it’s so important to get it just right, especially as they are growing and constantly active!
I feel that there is a real lack of information
available to parents about foot development health, but because we are all about children’s feet and footwear we are best placed to advise and steer our customers towards the best suited products. Whether it’s first walkers, girls, boys or
school shoes, we offer the perfect collection of premium quality shoes for every age group and every shape foot!
Q: Do you have an online shop or website, and do you use social networking for business? Samantha: We do have a website where customers can shop online and get next day delivery, or click and collect from our store. And we also use Facebook and Instagram the most out of all the social platforms – we find that’s where the majority of our customer base is. Of course there have been changes due to the
cost of living, and online shopping and sites like Vinted have had an effect on trading conditions.
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