Q&A
Independent Footwear Retailer of the Month
Cheryl Taylor, Associate Editor, talks to independent footwear retailer Andreas Andreou of Brookfield Comfort in Welshpool, just over the Welsh border from Shrewsbury.
Q&A Name: Andreas Andreou
Shop: Brookfield Comfort, Welshpool
Brands include: Birkenstock, Rieker, Lunar, Hotter, Crocs
Q: How did you get into footwear? Tell us about your background and your current business? A: We had an opportunity to acquire an empty high street shop, and at the time the choice was between setting up a pizza takeaway, a toy shop or a shoe shop and we opted. and we opted for the latter due to the lack of dedicated shoe shops in the area. We are based in a small Mid Wales town called
Welshpool, on the border with England. It can be a sleepy town, especially in the Autumn and Winter months, however the Summer sees tourists visiting the local castle and travelling through to their caravan holidays on the coast. We are very proud to say we have a low
turnover of staff, with most staying with us for years. We have a good work ethic, arranged around our personal lives and responsibilities. We are always learning and understanding our customers’ priorities with a vested interest in what they like and dislike as we realise this is the key to the success of the business.
Q: Do you have an online shop or website, and do you use social networking for business? A: Our core activity is online with our website, and there is a strong technical element to the business from process management, internal software development and constant improvement. Our key team member who looks after the site is currently pursuing a degree in software engineering as an Apprentice with us. Our intentions are to get the right shoes to the right customers as efficiently as possible, whether it’s in store or online. In respect to marketing, we try to focus on one area before spreading our skills too
36 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2024
thin. Our choice is Google. We do also have a presence with social media but we don’t regard it as a source of consistent profitable activity as yet; however, we are active on social media and people are able to reach us.
Q: What’s selling well right now? What are your best-selling footwear brands and why? A: We can be surprised with some styles that sell. We do our best to forward order but
sometimes a best seller comes out of nowhere and we are scrambling to get more! On the whole, we do choose well and our flagship brands are Birkenstock in the Summer and Rieker in the Winter.
Q: How important is shoe fitting to your business? A: I think most of our customers are aware of the brands and generally know their size.
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