Q&A
Independent Footwear Retailer of the Month
Cheryl Taylor, Editor, talks to Steve Ryrie of White and Son Shoes, Sidmouth, Devon Q&A
Name: White & Son Shoes Shop(s): Yes 1
Brands: Skechers, Josef Seibel, Westland, Rieker, Remonte, DB, Ara, FitFlop, Strive, Pikolinos, ECCO, Waldlaufer, Van Dal, Anatomic, IMAC, HB, Mustang, Hush Puppies, Rohde, UKD, Drapers, Hey Dude, Walk in Pitas, Free Spirit, Euroleathers
Home town: Sidmouth, Devon Family: Steve and Sarah Ryrie
How did you get into footwear? Tell us about your background and your current business?
Growing up in Street, Mum and Dad both worked for Clarks, and I remember as a child vowing I could never work in footwear – better the devil you know I guess!!
I started my footwear career working for Clarks in Heathrow Airport before moving to Lillywhites in London and then in 1998 I became the Manager of ECCO’s global flagship store in London’s Oxford Street. After 3 years of running the store, I transferred to ECCO Wholesale where I spent the next 15 years working across many roles including UK Sales Manager before moving to ECCO Accessories in Switzerland.
On returning to the UK, I spent 4 years as Commercial Director for The Florida Group until Covid gave me an unexpected opportunity to start my own business. In January 2021 I became the Sales Agent for Van Dal, Padders and latterly Mephisto in the South of the UK. About the same time, the existing owner of White & Son Shoes in Sidmouth approached me to say he was looking to retire and would I be interested in buying the business? My initial thoughts, given that we were in the middle of the pandemic and that a lot of retailers were leaving the High Street, were not particularly positive, but my wife and I looked at the figures, took some advice and having known the store over the years through selling ECCO and Van Dal to the previous owner, we came to the decision that this was
26 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
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