The TV blitz planned for August and September coincides with one of the peak buying times of the year and will be spearheaded initially by Buckle My Shoe's dedicated Back To School range.

The brand's autumn and winter range, from tots to pre-teens, will also be showcased towards the end of the television campaign.

It will be the first time since launching 20 years ago that the design-led brand has been screened into the front rooms of TV millions - giving a timely boost to the growing number of stores that are turning to Buckle My Shoe to boost sales.

The Back To School range will have plenty of choice with no fewer than 30 boys' and girls' styles available. All shoes feature the style and quality hallmarks for which Buckle My Shoe is renowned, boasting leather uppers and linings, and flexible hard-wearing soles.

All Buckle My Shoe lasts are designed to accommodate growing feet in comfort. There are also wide-fit options on some styles.

Sales Director Chris Hargreaves said: "We have matched the launch of our biggest - and most stylish - Buckle My Shoe range with the biggest advertising campaign in its history.

"This has included the filming of some striking TV ads - with the same high degree of innovation and ‘edginess' that we have built as a consistent theme into this season's styles.

"This high-profile TV campaign is another clear signal of our determination to invest in Buckle My Shoe - already one of the top five children's footwear brands in the UK - and achieve our ambition to elevate it to the next level.

"Being seen extensively on TV will play a key role in this, and forms an important first step in taking Buckle My Shoe into an exciting new era.

"We had an incredible response to the range at Premier Kids and MODA - even before we told retailers of our plans to back them with TV. Already, our forward sales are 20 per cent higher that the same time last year."

For almost two decades, Buckle My Shoe has been one of Europe's foremost children's footwear brands - a success story showcased in the likes of Hello and OK! and worn by numerous celebrity children.

Now a key division of William Lamb Footwear, the brand is building on the quality and style that has made Buckle My Shoe such a favourite for so many years.

But the ads will not just focus on these attributes - they will also highlight three new incentives designed to generate extra sales appeal for the consumer.

Each pair in the Back To School range - unveiled to universal acclaim at MODA and all the major shows in the UK and abroad - incorporates an innovative gel pad, which is specially moulded into each heel to give unrivalled comfort.

And the attraction of the range is broadened even further by the offer of two high value gifts with purchase with every pair of boys' or girls' Back To School shoes bought:

• A fashionable - and practical - wristband watch, styled in the eye-catching black and white stripes of the Buckle My Shoe brand.
• A lightweight and compact kitbag - perfect for carrying everything from books to boots between home and school.

Chris Hargreaves added: "We're giving people more incentives than ever to buy Buckle My Shoe footwear - and that is good news for stockists.

"The gel pad technology that goes into every pair featured in our Back To School range adds a dimension that our market research shows really appeals to consumers.

"Combined with the offer of two high value gifts with purchase, we're confident that the Back To School range has a winning formula to increase sales among retailers and help them stand out in the marketplace."

TV support for the brand will be backed up by a high-profile press advertising campaign which will target the best-selling titles among women's weekly and monthly magazines.

And, in a further initiative to build the profile of the brand and support its expanding network of stockists, Buckle My Shoe has clinched a major sponsorship deal with the UK's leading road safety charity, Brake.

It will be the key partner in a Guinness Book of World Records attempt on June 11 to create the biggest ever ‘Walking Bus' involving up to 200,000 schoolchildren nationwide.

A walking bus is a safe, healthy and environmentally-friendly way for children to get to and from school - walking handin- hand in a small group supervised by volunteer parents. The event encourages schools to set up walking bus schemes and other initiatives to help children get to school safety on an ongoing basis.

Each participant will receive a commemorative newspaper, Buckle My News, featuring not only road safety messages and support from the likes of former Children's Laureate Dame Jacqueline Wilson, but also an insight into the new ranges.

Later in the traditional summer buying season, Buckle My Shoe is linking up with Brake once again as part of a competition to find the UK's top school crossing patrol warden of the year - a key strand in a wider initiative to try to recruit more volunteers to such posts.

In addition to Back To School, there are no fewer than 40 pairs for boys and girls within its ultra-stylish autumn/winter range.

All the shoes feature in a brand new trade catalogue, which highlights in detail the high-quality design and manufacturing process that is the hallmark of every pair.

New research has confirmed that mums and dads value the brand for its quality - and love it for its sense of style.

Buckle My Shoe stands out amongst its Continental competitors. This is because it prides itself on understanding, and reflecting, a British sense of style and make children's shoes with that special touch of grown up fashion.

The brand has a professional team of shoe experts - designers with imaginative ideas for new shoes; and shoemakers who ensure that approved factories deliver their designs to the highest quality standards. It is this approach that has earned Buckle My Shoe its reputation as a premier international fashion footwear brand producing high quality, innovative and comfortable children's shoes.

Further details can be obtained from the website http://www.bucklemyshoe.com/ as well as direct from Sales Director Chris Hargreaves on 01924 836922.