Dear Members

Published: 18 September, 2009

Reward...for anyone who can tell me what happened to the summer? One minute we are anticipating great weather (for a change), had our fingers crossed the ‘credit crunch' will last as long as a box of Cornflakes and are being told that UK tourism is facing a boom year, then our media is frightening us with ‘killer' swine flu, unemployment statistics and a plague of biting ladybirds of biblical proportions....lovely! One can only imagine that shares in Paracetamol related products and distillers of Lambrini are worth investing in at the moment, but ‘playing safe/being sensible' putting any spare cash in the bank (did I hear someone laugh?) is a definite no-no. Take heart those of you who lost money in Iceland (and I don't mean the weekly shop), the Icelandic government have just decided to pay you back over time, so there is good news on the horizon for some.

Without doubt many are feeling the pinch and with credit houses not playing ball, it is making it very difficult for suppliers and their agents too. Unless you pay your bills on time, you do not get insurance, and that has a massive knock-on effect down the food chain. So what can we all do about it? Sometimes it is the most obvious that we overlook. I think the key is to keep communication open and be honest if you have concerns. Don't let anything get out of hand, whether it is stock, staff levels, overhead bills etc. Monitor everything that has a cost implication to your business and be strong and tackle it. Keep an eye on competition both locally and within a 30 mile radius - you may not be able to do anything about it - and let's face it there is more competition than ever before, but your qualification gives you something very special, so shout about it and we will do our best to help you shout too - you only have to ask! If you can't beat them, join them. Whether it is adding a website to your business to ‘clear' unwanted stock, putting end of lines on Ebay, or making space in your window for ‘special offers', keep your shelves well monitored and if you have made a mistake with a style, get shot of it as quickly as possible - don't wait until the end of the season so you merely join hundreds of others trying to do the same thing. Is there a cheap way you can promote your business? Can you afford to give ‘discount' or ‘special offer deals' to big local businesses i.e. hospitals, schools, etc.? A loyalty card may cost you a little initially, but the extra business should more than compensate. What about creating a ‘trade swap' locally? - you may need some printing or cheap advertising or just a meal at the local pub - and they might need shoes - in these times our stock becomes our currency. We are always thinking about what is inside our boxes, and now it is time to think outside the boxes...but don't just think, act! If we can help, let us know....

Laura West - Secretary

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'FITTING' NEWS' - Summer 2012 - Another Warm Welcome from the President – Jan Parry
In my last column I was hoping for a hot – or even warm summer – not much luck so far I am sad to say, and as the last edition was just prior to MODA, I was also hoping to meet more of our members – fortunately I had better luck on that score! Thank you so much for coming up to say ‘hello’ to my husband Francis and I, it was lovely to meet you and chat about trade. We have since had our AGM and I embark on my second year in office – where does the time go? The Minutes of the meeting are available from our Secretary, so if you want to know how the SSF has performed over the past year, do request a copy. My address at the meeting was as follows:
Who says it is all doom and gloom and no good news?
Are you an experienced shoe fitter but have not qualified as a member of The Society of Shoe Fitters? What a pity, because we are always looking to promote staff and shops that do the job well and our members are well respected. There has never been a better time to join us - you need every possible achievement to retain your customers and your staff in these tough times and with overwhelming competition.
Comment from Laura West, Secretary, the Society of Shoefitters
The Society of Shoefitters would like to thank Datateam for putting together a fantastic event for the footwear industry, which without doubt will be another sell-out next year. "The best thing about it was the equal mix of suppliers and retailers" said Laura West the Secretary, 'It really united the industry. Awards dinners are normally prohibitively expensive and rather starchy and as Independent retailers are not having an easy time it would be impossible for most to attend. However with this in mind Datateam managed to host an affordable, glitzy, relaxed and really fun event. The predictable raffle was replaced with a Heads & Tails game and the wine flowed generously all evening. It reminded me of shoe fair events twenty to thirty years ago. the trade was very supportive of one another and there was great camarderie between companies which of latter years had sadly dwindled, but this event certainly rekindled the 'feel good factor' and made the Moda Shoe Fair an even more enjoyable occasion'.
Finalists announced for the Society of Shoe Fitters Student of the Year 2011
The Awards Dinner will be held on Sunday 19th February and transport is available from the show to the hotel, but this must be pre-arranged with Stella Ryder on 0773 304 2104 by Wednesday 15^th February. We shall be presenting our Trophy for Student of the Year 2011, and our finalists are: Kim Jackson of Klodhoppers, Hove, E. Sussex, David O’Dwyer of Cushyfeet, Limerick, Sheridan Parsons of Wooton Bassett
The Society of Shoe Fitters FITTING NEWS Spring 2012
A warm welcome from the President - Here we are embarking on a new season in a tough retail world. Let's hope for once the weather will be kind to us all with a lovely long hot summer. That will cheer us up and make our bank accounts look better. Here in South West Wales it has been a very wet and mild winter. In my establishment the next season’s stock is flooding in. Where will it all go? We are still crossing our fingers for ice and snow with the hope of selling more winter boots.