Footwear Today

Four halls for the third edition of the international showcase dedicated to footwear and leather accessories. Expo Riva Schuh India has, by now, become a fundamental date in the international exhibition calendar. Having reached its third edition, the showcase for footwear and leather accessories has claimed it role as the fair of note in the Asian continent and will be back, from 4th to 6th July at the Pragati Maidan Exhibition Centre of New Delhi. There will be footwear, bags, gloves, belts and leather accessories on offer from both Indian and international exhibitors.

A DATE AT RIVA DEL GARDA WITH THE SPRING/SUMMER 2014 COLLECTIONS  From June 15th to 18th the appointment with Expo Riva Schuh once again returns, celebrating its first 80 editions based on a strong international calling and the desire to continue on the crest of the wave of the last edition, which closed with great satisfaction for the results achieved, both in terms of quantity and also for the quality of business which was developed.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Skechers GOwalk™ window In Harrods. This year’s theme of enchanted garden allowed us to design one of the best creative Harrods windows we have ever produced!  The window will be installed for the next four weeks on Hans Crescent. Skechers GOwalk™ our global number-one, best-selling lightweight leisure shoe, ideal for everyday use. Skechers GOwalk™ shoes are light and flexible, helping you to walk naturally and keeping your feet cool and comfortable. They are also machine washable. Sketches GOwalk™ are available in a variety of colours from classic black to on-trend coral perfect for any type of walking! They are priced £50.

The Skechers Performance Division is proud to announce its partnership with the 2013 Blenheim Triathlon. Following the success of the London Triathlon partnership the Skechers Performance Division are delighted to be the official footwear sponsor for another major triathlon event, The Blenheim Triathlon.

The Society of Shoe Fitters recently held its 53rd AGM in London. The Society would like to thank Jan Parry of Parry Shoes, Haverfordwest, S. Wales, for completing her two year term in office as President so successfully.  Jan helped to drive forward the SSF Infant Fitting Gauges and the recent National Shoe Fitting Week - Keep Feet Fit as well as a great supporter of the Footwear Awards, which aimed to recognise the smaller people within the footwear industry. all notable landmark's in the colourful SSF history

The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) has announced a dramatic increase in funding for UK exporters to take part in key international trade shows. In the financial year 2013/4 and 2014/5, UKFT has received a commitment from UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) to almost double the amount of money available. Grants for European shows will increase from £1000 to £1500 per show and exhibitors at key US shows will see grants almost double to £2000. For shows in Europe and the US, UK SME companies will have a lifetime allocation of 6 grant supported shows. In addition, for shows in emerging markets, such as China, Hong Kong and Russia, companies will be eligible for a further 6 grants and for these markets the grants will range from £2500 to £3000.

The British Footwear Association (BFA) has announced the appointment of John Saunders in the new role of Sales and Marketing Director. John, 55, has over 30 years experience in the footwear industry, having worked internationally and in export with SSL/ Scholl at director level and in senior roles with US company Brown Shoe Corporation, Florida Group and Start-rite.

To support continued business growth at Gola, the company is pleased to announce the appointment of two new sales agents from Lime Green Agencies who will cover sales across Eire and Northern Ireland. Brian O’Sullivan, based in Cork, will cover the south part of Eire, whilst Jamie Lewis, based in County Mayo, will cover the north part of Eire, along with Northern Ireland. Together the two will work on the sales and distribution of Gola footwear, apparel and bags and any opportunities also arising for Lonsdale.

Founders of online designer shoes company KindredSole.com are amongst graduate entrepreneurs highlighted at a Westminster event 'Start-up: a story' next week.Montfort University Fashion Retail Buying graduates Lizze Leary and Beth Widdowson will meet MPs at the Houses of Parliament on 16 April. The event by University Alliance will highlight and celebrate the impact graduate entrepreneurs have on the UK economy by telling their start-up stories. Hosted by Paul Blomfield MP and keynote speaker Rt Hon Vince Cable MP will join the successful graduate entrepreneurs, those involved running university incubation centres and enterprise support as well as Parliamentarians.  

Government data on Flying Saucers explains the national obsession of looking for lost socks. Recent reports made public from the National Archive have shown an increasing number of UFO sightings over the United Kingdom since the Second World War; which high-level defence, weather and technology experts have gone to great lengths to explain.  However, the rise of 'flying saucer' sightings has a direct correlation to the steady increase of lost socks over the last decades, which Ministry of Defence officials have been quite unable - or unwilling - to explain, Britain's hardest-working sock subscription service has found out.

Chatham Marine is delighted to announce it has signed up to join Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week’s family of event sponsors as Official Footwear Sponsor to the regatta. Award-winning Chatham Marine combines very British styling and traditional craftsmanship with innovative design to create deck shoes that appeal to today’s sailors, and is ideally matched with this iconic British sailing event

The innovative multi-channel retailer embarked on its expansion programme after developing a winning formula of product, service and shopping environment which underlined its mantra that "customers are for life". Retail expansion continues, with Hotter (http://www.hottershoes.com/ ) planning a 20 more openings by the end of the year, adding a further 200 jobs to the 200 it created in 2012.

Shooze With Sole, a children's and adults footwear company from Ayrshire, has won 35k as one of 20 finalists in the Government’s Scottish Edge Fund. The award was opened in November last year to companies who had the potential to expand, increase sales and employ staff. Shooze With Sole began in March 2012 and currently has stores in Ayr, Kilmarnock and Troon. The company now employs 13 staff, 2 of them who were previously unemployed through the local council modern apprentice scheme.

Date: 1 March 2013, Place: UK. The Italian shoe & fashion brand Geox and W.L. Gore & Associates havereached an agreement and declared an end to their current disputes regardingcertain GEOX patents in respect of GORE-TEX® Footwear with Gore’s SURROUND™ Product Technology. The agreement reached also resolves all legal disputes between Geox and Gore brand partners and retailers. The disputes had been triggered by the launch of Gore's SURROUND™ Product Technology, which was followed by legal measures in several European countries to secure the intellectual property.

The three ages of an agent (with apologies to Titian) and Why taking back exclusive rights from a distributor may not be such a smart move

Perennial best seller Angulus, known throughout the world for its commitment to quality and design, is introducing its first school ‘set’ collection available in stock from May 2013. Angulus is introducing new styles as well keeping existing bestsellers in red, black, blue, brown, patent and nubuk. The exclusive collection is broader than before as it offers fifteen different options for young girls, six for teenagers and thirteen for boys.

Redundant stock can make a huge difference to the lives of those living below the poverty line in communities in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. WJR’s Gifts in Kind provides humanitarian aid directly from the UK to communities in need, normally within weeks. The goods are arranged, sorted and re-packed in our warehouse. We then ship containers to communities in desperate need. At the other end, they are distributed under the strict supervision of professional, locally based community workers. The items are not sold but go straight to those who need them.

Organised by Datateam Business Media for the industry, with the support of the British Footwear Association (BFA), Independent Footwear Retailers Association (IFRA), the Society of Shoe Fitters (SSF) and Footwear Today, The Footwear Industry Awards were held on the first night of the Moda Footwear Show, Sunday 17th February 2013 at the National Motorcycle Museum. Building on last year's fantastic debut, this year's event was an even bigger success. Following a voting process in which over 2000 individuals had their say, the trade united to celebrate award winning products, people, retailers and services.

Organised by Datateam Business Media for the industry, with the support of BFA, IFRA, Society of Shoe Fitters and Footwear Today, The Footwear Industry Awards were held on the first night of the Moda Footwear Show, Sunday 17th February 2013 at the National Motorcycle Museum. This fantastic evening, in which excellence was rewarded at every level, was attended by over 250 guests and we are delighted to reveal this year's winners.

If you would like to guarantee seats at the Footwear Industry Awards, please be aware that final bookings will be taken on Wednesday. After this time, only a limited number of tickets will be available on a first come first served basis, by calling Sam Baughan on 07733 042104 or on the Sunday from the Footwear Today stand at Moda (T41).