It's Feb already and before we get the chance to smarten up for our Valentines Day dinner, we have a heck of a lot of buying to get through! Yes it's that time of year again, with two of the UKs largest footwear exhibitions taking place: Moda and Pure.  Pure has upped its selection of footwear with a staggering 125 footwear brands on show, Pure has seen a 50% increase compared to August 2007, and an impressive 65% more new footwear brands on show.

ABBEY Saddlery & Crafts has agreed a new distribution deal with leading Italian firm Castiglioni.

Europe's largest online retailer of women's footwear, Viva La Diva .com, has recently added another covetable label Strutt Couture to their expanding list of brands which they stock via their website.

Peter Newman Shoes, a family run business renowned for its customer service has invested in Eurostop's ready to go e-commerce solution for its new online store.  The new website www.shoes2Udirect.com has been developed by Eurostop as part of the retailer's expansion plans. 

London, 3 December, 2007: Palford Ltd, UK distributors of Levi's Kids Footwear is pleased to announce the appointment of Gary Vickers of Gary Vickers Agencies as their agent for the North of England.

The world's premier luxury footwear and accessories show, The Collections at WSA, is to host more jewellery and handbag brands than ever before.  From 21st-24th February 2008, this exclusive ‘show- within-a-show' will take place in the prestigious suites of the Venetian Resort Hotel, Las Vegas and will feature more than 350 women's and men's footwear, handbag, and jewellery designer brands, offering an unmatched comprehensive view of these categories within the  luxury market.

Gresham Private Equity, the UK mid market private equity specialist has announced it has invested in Hotter shoes (Hotter).  

Patrick Cox has been put up for sale after a mooted licensing deal with House of Fraser Collapsed.

For the start of the sales season autumn/winter 2008/2009, the Caprice shoe factory in Pirmasens/Germany presented the new women's shoe collection for the first time in the eastern European fashion capital Warsaw last week. In front of a selected audience, international models showed the shoe highlights developed by the Caprice designers. Next to the optical fashion impressions, the wellness innovations which are marked with the slogan "Walking on air" and are patented throughout Europe were the focal point of the presentation.

Puma have designed a specific shoe in honour of the Beijing Olympics. The USAN shoe by Puma is described as "a key sport lifestyle shoe, inspired by running "and has been created by Puma as a celebratory style in honour of the games.

Roelof de Leeuw was appointed sales director for Crocs Europe in December. Roelof will take over the position of European Sales Director from Ortwin Dellevoet, who will now manage the Ocean Minded Business Unit.

BLC Leather Technology Centre Ltd, UK and Asia Pacific Leather Fair Ltd, Hong Kong will once again be pooling their resources and hosting an international leather conference on 1 April 2008, during the APLF event.

The latest Retail Traffic Index (RTI) figures from research group SPSL show that despite a good deal of gloom from analysts and city-watchers, November was better than anticipated. Footfall on the high street was up by 2.7% on October, but still down by 0.8% on November 2006.

After 12 years in the role, Niall Campbell is moving on from his role as chief executive for the British Footwear Association.

Employers in England's fashion and textiles sector are claiming that the recent government commitment to spend more on apprenticeships will mean little, unless Ministers do more to address the apparent "ageist" approach to skills support.

Hot, young and cutting edge: the New Generation sponsored by TOPSHOP at London Fashion Week is the most exciting date on the fashion calendar. The raw talent represents all that is pioneering about London and accounts for the buzz that surrounds the capital at the moment. 

With its latest television commercial, ‘Primigi, a great adventure', Primigi, the leading children's shoe company in Italy, has won the ‘Beauty & Fashion' category of the 39th Key Award, the most important Italian recognition dedicated exclusively to television advertising.

Shoe and leather goods manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers tracking temperature or humidity conditions affecting inventory quality can now have the convenience of both real-time data and the ability to download data for further analysis with the redesigned Dickson Graph-at-a-Glance Flat Panel Temperature and Humidity Data Loggers (http://www.dicksondata.com/).

The term 'shifter' might seem an odd one. But if you indulge in 'income shifting', it seems the taxman is likely to take an increased interest in your affairs from next April - and may well contend that a further tax bill will be shifted your way as a result.

As far as footwear is concerned we have never had it so good.  Never in the whole history of humankind have shoes been so cheap, of such high quality, nor has there been such a variety of styles on the market.

Noel, the French children's shoe manufacturer, has been making shoes since 1925, when the company was founded by two brothers.

How does an independent shoe retail business keep itself at the top of the game in this age of modernity, visual spectaculars and computerised living? We caught up with Mark Newman, son of the infamous Peter Newman and owner of the independent south east chain, Peter Newman Shoes to find out his exciting moves to bring the company into 2008...

Green is the new black, don't you know? As eco friendly and fair-trade take a grip on the fashion world, we take a look at the impact this revolution has made on the mainstream men's market.

The Shooz comfort gel range is set to make shoe retailers happy as the market moves from winter into summer styles. Two specially designed Shoocomfort lines, Shooz Strappy Cushioning Strips and Shooz Toe Cushions are adding value to sandal sales, as customers welcome the solution to common problems associated with new strappier fashions.

Safety footwear has become a competitive area within the footwear market, with many new and established brands upping their profile. We caught up with one of the leading names in the market, Sterling Safety Wear Ltd, to find out why, after ten years in the business, they are worth a bet this season...

Not too hot, not too cold, just right - which description can better meet the expectations firemen have towards their apparel and footwear? This is exactly where the Magnum brand hooks in and presents a line of firemen boots with the innovative Outlast® material being able to balance temperature changes so that it feels inside the boot not to warm and not too cold, but just right.

Pure, showing 10-12 February 2008 at Olympia London has increased its line-up, now showing more than 800 womenswear, footwear and accessory collections. The increase reflects the growth of the show and the launch of the additional Pure Footwear section. 

INSOLVENCY  DETAILS

Message Date: 1 December 2007
Registered Number: 01827119
Subject:  CARRERA DANCEWEAR LIMITED
The London Gazette dated Thu Nov 29, 2007 published the following public record information against the subject: Appointment of Liquidator by Members and Creditors

With over 400 collections covering shoes for men, women and children and with astounding growth year upon year, Moda Footwear is the UK's largest trade showcase for footwear and related products and accessories. Positioned between menswear and womenswear Moda Footwear enables retailers to view collections in the context of current clothing trends and, with a brand mix which covers high fashion through to high quality classics, it has something for everyone.

The concepts for the Women's, Men's and Children's A/W 2008 collections from Hush Puppies have just been revealed and to follow is an overview of the key features of the collections:

We will showing the very latest styles of  "Cushion~Flex"^TM shoes, sandals and casuals for the coming season. We are introducing three fantastic new ranges of "Cushion~Flex"^TM, "Cruise Line", "Fit for feet" anatomical footwear, and a fabulous new range of men's shoes and sandals.

Everyone's feet are different in shape, size and width, this simple truth lies at the heart of what makes specialist manufacturer DB Shoes Ltd so successful. No other company offers retailers such an extensive choice of styles over so many widths making DB's ‘easy b'range of shoes the perfect fit for wider feet!

Jacobson Group season on season ensures a plentiful flow of new and exciting product to appeal to fashion conscious individuals. Jacobson Group's new collections encompass a range of styles from interesting printed canvas ballerinas to the season's hottest trend; high cut sandals.

Wolky's history goes back to the early 80s. Back then the Diks Shoe Stores sold a lot of comfort footwear. However, at the time these shoes were not fashionable. This prompted the company's founder, Kees Diks to develop a sandal line himself. After the introduction of the Wolky Nature line, the City line followed in 1989 with fashionable and colourful sandals with a revolutionary insole consisting of cork and memory foam. After this success, Wolky introduced several other shoes with removable insoles.

This coming season is becoming an increasingly important one for MOSHULU. Having now passed our ten year anniversary we are giving our full attention to moving onwards and upwards in our second decade.

Whether it's the hottest trends of the season, adorablechildren's styles or contemporary men's footwear that buyers are in search of at this season's Moda, Lotus Ltd and its eclectic profile of brands has every basecovered. The new addition to the Lotus portfolio, Austin Reed, will launch its debut collection of outstanding men's footwear for the morediscerning gentleman. 

The new Autumn/Winter 2008 collection from Emotion yet again blends wide fitting style with fashion-led design to produce another season of guaranteed favourites

Cool & sporty are the magic words this coming winter for active boys who know what they want! New hiking designs inspired by the "grown up" outdoor fashions are perfectly transformed into footwear kids can relate to. Styles that boast robust Velcro fastenings, non-slip soles and protective anti-scuff toecaps are ideal for any outdoor pursuit! Successful "skater" articles from the summer like Kevin and Hunter have been developed in earthy brown tones combined with cool splashes of colour. Oiled nubuk leather ensures outdoor durability, whilst hi-tech materials including Sympatex provide comfort, breathability and dry feet.

Originating from the traditions and lifestyles of America's East Coast, Gant Footwear is a truly international lifestyle brand that is established in over 70 countries across the globe. Gant Footwear's new season Autumn/Winter collection offers a range of designs for stylish winter wear.

The new Josef Seibel Autumn/Winter 2008 collection shows adventurous development, whilst maintaining the brand's commitment to stylish but highly comfortable clogs, shoes and boots for men and women.

Romika is enjoying a growing reputation for desirable casual footwear that effortlessly combines a fashion element with comfort and quality.

An intelligently designed masterpiece of German quality or those men and women who want to look good comfortably, Finn Comfort has introduced new leathers and colours to the range of stylish mens and women's shoes for 2008. New styles combined with skilful European craftsmanship, medical know-how and state-of-the-art modern technology give FinnComfort shoes their unparalleled quality, trademark support and world-class comfort.

Having a pair of shoes that fit perfectly and look good can make a big difference to your customers. Established in 1857 James Taylor & Son has built up an excellent reputation for beautifully made, comfortable shoes.

For Summer 2008 Frisky will be introducing trendy rubber sandals in loud garish colours and they are destined to be the next big summer shoes. They are made from very light recycled materials and designed using the highest level of technology. 2008 sees new designs for men and woman, and now for children as well. Frisky's footwear is built around the shape of your foot and are carefully moulded to let air in around the toe

Jaybill Wholesale will be exhibiting once again at Moda this February and Conrad Dempsey, Sales Director, emphasised the importance of providing a well rounded product offer, excellent customer care and after sales support and believe these are the essential ingredients for success in the wholesale environment.

Cotswold is using MODA to launch the latest range of Waterproof Comfort Footwear for 2008. 

So often it is a case when choosing shoes. Should your head rule your heart? Not likely! The familiar story of must have shoes, but you know they will kill your feet by the time you take them off again. So relying purely on emotion for your footwear choices was, until now, the road to pain, discomfort and expense all in the name of style and fashion. 

Belgian brand Sprox began life in the shoe business just two short years ago.  Following an aggressive advertising and marketing campaign, Sprox has won the recent ACC Brand Activation Award in Belgium and is now set for the top.  Launching at this season's Moda, we caught up with MD Patrick Vanesste to find out how a small brand from Belgium is setting up to take over the world..

From the vast outdoors to city landscapes MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) has established its leader position in the practical fashion footwear market.  Since the introduction of MBTs development has continued with great success and has been an inspiration for countless footwear brands that claim positive effects on our bodies.

It is refreshing to see a UK company that is strengthening relationships with its suppliers in the Far East. Comfort Plus, from leading wider fit footwear supplier E Sutton & Son, may be about comfort shoes but they can hardly be described as being in the comfort zone in terms of their range development or their commitment to high quality competitively priced wider fit footwear.

The UK's shoe industry is demanding an increased product range to showcase everything from the latest Manolo Blahnik's to trainers - and the country's leading manufacturer is rising to the challenge.

Dytec is an established expert at providing footwear importers, wholesalers and retailers with a full footwear remedial and rectification service.

As shoe retailing becomes more competitive each year, the knowledge and enthusiasm of your sales staff are key factors in your success. But how do you help them to retain vital information on shoe fitting and product knowledge?.......How do you motivate them to share the same commitment to your business as you have?

The legendary Land Rover brand has stepped into footwear for the coming Autumn/Winter 08 season offering a wide selection of boots and moccasin styles, which reflect the brand values of comfort and durability.

Autumn/winter 2008 not only brings a completely new season with the latest trends, but also a completely new shoe brand: Maruti. Maruti is the result of an international design team, consisting of designers from Italy, England and the Netherlands. These designers have a wealth of knowledge and many years of experience in design and production. They have combined their know-how and talent in Maruti. And the result?

BUCKLE My Shoe is taking the High Street by storm in 2008 by launching the most exciting range in its history - underpinned by the biggest ever package of sales support to retailers.

Jaywalking is the J Shoes philosophy - an outlook based on spontaneity and open-mindedness. It's a way of life that has attracted a growing army of Jaywalkers, such as Just Jack, The Chemical Brothers, Sienna Miller, Peaches & Pixie Geldof and The Twang.

Lotus Ltd has signed a footwear license agreement with the quintessentially British brand Austin Reed.

The latest addition to Jacobson Group's umbrella of brands, Ravel, will be unveiled to the trade at this season's Moda footwear exhibition.  As the brand is already creating a buzz within fashion circles, the new exuberant collection of trend led ladies' footwear will definitely be the talk of the show!

Gola Sport will unveil some exciting new developments across its footwear and bag collections at the forthcoming Moda Footwear exhibition. Gola Sport is renowned for offering an eclectic range of styles and the new collection further demonstrates the versatility of the brand.  Fashion inspired designs through to striking back to school options are all available!!

RIMIGI, the brand leader in the children's shoes sector, has been designing and producing shoes created to meet the specific needs of all children for the past thirty years, much to the satisfaction of parents and especially to its commercial partners.