What is great about the footwear industry is its ability to pull itself together and rise above the flames when times are hard. As show season looked to get off to a shaky start we have all been a little more than apprehensive about this season’s events. Not least of all show exhibitors, had they believed the hype, were biting at the ends of their finger nails with fears of barely breaking even in a time of apparent recession and market dips.

Traditional English shoemaker Loake has been granted a Royal Warrant of Appointment to The Queen. Loake has been producing fine, handmade Goodyear Welted men’s shoes at its factory in Northamptonshire for over 125 years.

Sebago was pleased to announce that they will be returning to Harrods as of February 2007. They will make up part of the new ‘Swim & Surf’ department on the 5th floor.

DR Shoes is pleased to announce the appointment of Zoe Greenhalf to their rapidly expanding team. Zoe will be responsible for product design and development focussing on Babycham footwear.

Merrell is proud to announce it is to become the Official Outdoor Partner for the extremely popular Human Race Triathlon series for 2007. Merrell believes that being outside unites those who enjoy exploring and seeking out new experiences whether encompassing the wonder of the natural world or the heart of an urban landscape.

As part of its plans to extend and strengthen its already strong reputation for creating fashionable footwear for women with wider feet and calves, Emotion Shoes has appointed Neil Bennett to the newly-created role of national sales manager.

BLC offers a comprehensive package of whole shoe and footwear component tests in addition to the full schedule of leather testing and proven expertise in providing a fast, reliable and competitive service in leather and restricted substances testing.

Bdirect has recently launched the ‘10CMS’ - a completely new style of Flash content management system to help improve the purchaser appeal of fashion retail websites. Created by Bdirect, 10CMS will mean companies can now have more interactive and animated websites without spending a fortune on technical support.

Following the success of last season’s campaign, global lifestyle brand Merrell has launched a 2007 national taxi campaign featuring key products from their Outventure and Transit collections. The campaign will run for a period of five months.

Podiatrist Kate Millns wants to see everyone in the peak of health ...well at least as far as their feet and lower limbs are concerned. "In the pink", it might be said.

Shoe Producers to incorporate environmentally friendly materials at the The WSA Show, Simple Shoes to Host First ‘ecoETHICStm Conference.’ With environmental issues at the forefront of the public arena, footwear manufacturers are turning to eco-friendly materials in an effort to bring social responsibility into the world of fashion and comfort.

As part of their new footwear line, Nanny State have revealed a fresh new range of men’s plimsoles. The rubber soles and canvas uppers of the plimsole have inspired generations of trainers and are the undisputed daddy of the modern trainer.

Investment fund Fortelus Capital has acquired Bruno Magli SpA for an undisclosed sum, marking a new chapter for the beleaguered footwear company. U.K.-based Fortelus said that it bought 100 percent of Bruno Magli from Bulgari SpA-backed equity fund Opera and its co-investors for an undisclosed sum.

Superfeet, the premium insole, is to launch a completely new insole to the European market at ISPO Munich, 4th-6th February 2007. The new Orange insole has been specifically designed for the male foot when carrying out high impact and endurance activities. This is the first male specific product within the Superfeet portfolio and follows the introduction of the women’s Berry insole, last year.

Europe's first Banana Republic store will open next year on London's Regent Street, although the exact location has yet to be confirmed. The firm said in a statement Monday it had signed a lease on a London store, but declined to give any further details. A company spokeswoman said the store would be opened directly by Gap Inc., and not via a franchise agreement.

Rockport is getting a sporty new feel. The Canton, Mass.-based company announced last week that it would be launching a collection of men’s dress, casual and outdoor shoes that incorporate parent company Adidas’ Torsion technology for fall ’07.

News recently of Jimmy Choo's intellectual property victory over M&S has understandably focused the attention of footwear companies on protecting their IP rights. But what is often overlooked is the contracts of those who are the creators of the IP in the first place - a company's employees.

Blue Peter and UNICEF today announced that the BBC Blue Peter Shoe Biz Appeal is close to reaching the landmark figure of one million pairs of collected shoes.

The ladies court shoe sitting on the shelf has a new swing ticket. In black and green lettering the label informs the consumer that this shoe has a carbon footprint of 150 units. All of the energy / carbon / fossil fuels etc which were used in the manufacture, storage and transport of this pair of shoes has been calculated and the total energy used, carbon emissions produced and general environmental damage done to get it onto the shelf is 150 carbon units.

As an employer, your need to understand the new anti-age discrimination legislation: if you do not or do not comply with it you will risk unlimited compensation awards being made against you and there are only limited defences available.

Last week a new young person joined us. Not yet 20 she had already had two jobs in retail, which I suppose should have told me something. She is polite, pleasant and, as far as I can tell, quite bright. She has all the usual GCSEs and is some sort of youth club leader. So, I hear you ask, why are you worried about her; most of us would be only too happy to have such a person?

Noel, the French children’s shoe manufacturer, has been making shoes since 1925, when the company was founded by two brothers. For 2007 Noel have produced an exceptional range of Back to School shoes that are superbly designed and are made of durable leather uppers and superbly soft leather linings. For boys robust protective toe caps have also been included.

We caught up with her for some insight into keeping the one off shops "independent"…

Among key buyers attending were Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, House of Fraser, John Lewis, El Corte Ingles, Debenhams and key independents Drome, Stone and Psyche. Creating a real buzz, buyers were impressed by the strength of the product on show. Over 800 collections showcased at the London Olympia venue, including over 160 brands new to Pure.

Last month’s Moda saw the biggest-ever stand from Emotion, the UK’s leading specialist in fashionable footwear for women with wider feet and calves. The stand featured a giant visual of a model wearing Emotion boots, sitting beside a lilly pond. This graphically illustrated that Emotion’s products combine comfort with fashion.

As more brands than ever participate in the footwear section, and a greater array of retailers and buyers turn up for the event, which brands particularly stood out?

As another MODA exhibition fades into memory what remains may be memories of low expectation, yet pleasant surprises. MOSHULU came to MODA and did exactly what it says on their tin. Colour, colour and more colour. Their ever colourful offering of bright innovative slippers, ankle boots and shoes were especially colourful this season and made their stand a really fun place to be.

The 1990's – A decade which gave us The Spice Girls, Friends TV show, and our first Harry Potter novel. Dolly the sheep was cloned and Mad Cow Disease spread throughout our countryside.

The two day event was born out of a desire to exhibit medium to high grade products in a setting of their own, away from the much larger showcase than previously seen in the industry. The showcase for autumn/winter 2007 is equally as pleasing as the last event, with a broad range of middle to upper end exhibitors and some fantastic new styles to please all who attend.

The footwear produced in the Guglielmo Rotta factory is 100% Italian in both style and content. In recent years, the Design Team has become more ambitious and included higher fashion concepts in the collection, without ever forgetting the excellent fitting for which the brand is rightly known.

A new season, fresh challenges, new ideas and fashion progresses in many directions. Please come and join us at Pedro Miralles so we can move together to the top of the line. We have new developments in many areas, our sport line going into new materials with some beautiful feminine details. We have a complete range of ballerina styles with detailed trims and some beautiful rich patent colours.

GDS will be sharpening its profile as an international information and order platform. This season sees three new additions to the show, including Prime Square, Concept 10 and Kidwalk. These three areas will ease orientation for international trade buyers at the exhibition grounds and allow exhibitors to focus on their specific target markets.

It’s common knowledge that the closer a shoe is to the shape of a foot the more omfortable the shoe. Unfortunately with the human foot coming in so many different shapes and sizes it has been impossible to achieve this for the majority of customers.

Crocs may be a fairly new as a brand, but there is nothing "infant" about their success.

This season PIKOLINOS’ designers delight us with a very exclusive Collection - extremely comfortable shoes, designed to make walking an everyday pleasure. For the ladies, comfort has been reinvented with the line CANTABRIA (in the picture). Extra comfortable lasts and latex soles for extreme softness are combined in this urban patchwork line. An absolute eye catcher for next Fall’07.

Mothers are always asking him about children ’s feet, suitable shoes and WMS. The specialist answers the most frequently asked questions in this edition of Community.

The jenny by ara collection has acquired a more youthful and modern feel. Retailers hold a deep affection for the brand because it combines proven design with good value for money. This "love affair" looks set to become even more passionate with the beginning of the Autumn/Winter 07 season, which marks the dawn of a new era for jenny by ara in terms of meeting customer requirements in a more targeted manner.

After the success of its September edition, MICAM SHOEVENT, the most prestigious international show for high, medium-high and medium level footwear, is ready to open its doors at Fiera Milano Rho. From 15 to 18 March 2007, it will be presenting collections for autumn/winter 2007/2008.

In a competitive market, the Chic show seems to have struck a chord with the big names in accessories and travel goods, and has gained itself a reputation as a must see buying event of this kind. We saw the event unfold, and chose some of our favourite brands for the Spring/Summer season...

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Message: 12 January 2007 Registered Number: 00127845

Subject: H.H.B.SUGG LIMITED

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