Name: James Hoad
Shop(s): CF Hoad & Son Ltd – 4 branches
Brands: Gabor, Van Dal, Josef Seibel, Rieker, Clarks, Pedro
Miralles, Barbour, Riva, Meindl, Merrell, Timberland, Dubarry, Barker, Sebago, Chatham, Sorel, Romika, Menbur, HB Shoes,
Steptronic, Anatomic Gel, Ecco, Musto, Lelly Kelly, Ricosta, Vans, Converse, Start Rite
Home town: Sevenoaks
How did you get into footwear? Tell us about your background and
your current business?
At
the age of 17, I started an apprenticeship with my father. He gave me the opportunity
to run our men’s department and I was responsible for merchandising, customer
research, and forward order buying and planning. Obviously he was overseeing
this to begin with, but he gave me a great deal of support and latitude when
bringing new ideas into the Company. At the same time, I completed a 10 month
course at the Society of Shoe fitters – I learnt so much on that course my
favourite of which was learning about the bone structure in the feet.
By
the age of 23 my father offered me the chance to manage our men’s and women’s
store. He had cut down the number of days per week he was working but was still
there for support and advice. A couple of years later I was given my
Directorship and sole command of the men’s and women’s business.
Today,
we have just completed a refit. We closed the store for a month while we ripped
the entire store apart and rebuilt it with a more modern and contemporary look
but with a warm and comfortable feel. All new lighting has been installed and
the product we sell has suddenly been transformed and looks more desirable.
To
keep the costs down, I built new displays and stud walls in my workshop at
home, and brought in tradesman to carry out all electrical work. This has saved
our business a lot of money but has been extremely hard work and at times
stressful, but we completed this ahead of time and on budget.
So
as not to lose too much revenue, we opened a “pop-up” shop, just a few doors
away and used this as a “clearance store” to sell the rest of our Autumn / Winter
product. This proved to be very successful
Business
is tuff in this current economic climate, and it is even more important that
business owners particularly on the High Street constantly look at new ways of
keeping existing customers as well as attracting new. Choice of brands, latest
fashion trends, social media and customer service are just a few of the ways in
which we constantly re-evaluate. This has enabled us to maintain our customer
base and keep the business flowing along at a constant level.
Where are your premises located and how many people do you employ?
Our main two stores, the first ones that we
opened are located on Sevenoaks High street; we also have a branch in Deal and
one in Wandsworth, London. Overall we employ about 28 people over all four
branches.
Tell us about your shop(s), the local area, your customers and their
requirements?
We are situated in Sevenoaks high-street which is a fairly affluent area and an
incredibly friendly town, we have our regular customers from the local area but
we also have customers that come to us from miles away, either who have moved
away over the years and still come back or who have been recommended by family
and/or friends. Our customers vary in their requirements but what doesn’t
change is the fitting – the shoes have to fit incredibly well and we pride
ourselves on that. All of our staff are trained in fitting shoes and orthotic
insoles and have an extensive knowledge of the brands that we stock which is
one of the reasons I believe customers keep coming back – our personalised one
to one fitting service.
Do you have an online shop/website and do you use social networking
for business?
Last year we set up our online website www.hoadshoes.co.uk/shop which at the
moment sells Men’s and Ladies shoes from our main branch in Sevenoaks however
we are currently in the process of adding our Children’s range to the site. We
use social networking for our business quite often now, we
currently have Facebook (Hoad Shoes), Twitter (@hoadshoes) and Instagram (Hoad
Shoes) accounts which have proved to be quite popular and our new blog!
How are you finding the footwear market currently?
The Footwear
market at the moment is economically tough for everyone although we have been
lucky enough to see a 10% increase this year on the back of two previous very
difficult years. I do however enjoy thriving on the challenge of making the
business more successful than the year before and see it as a challenge rather
than an obstacle.
What’s selling well? Any particular trends? Which are your best
selling footwear brands – and why?
A few years ago footwear trends were
going in a completely different direction but now I have noticed that it has
gone back to basics, the most popular products we have had this winter have
been great looking quality leather boots and shoes. For Men I would say our
best selling brand is Barker the classic city styles win every time along with
the durability of the shoe. On the more casual side of things Josef Seibel and
Steptronic are fantastic brands for us for their comfort and style.
For women
Gabor would probably be our best selling brand which again focuses on our main
Does your shop sell other items besides footwear, bags, gloves,
tights, socks, below the ankle products?
Any tips on stock offers, novel ideas for
clearing lines or advice for independent shoe retailers who might be feeling
the pinch?
My
Advice for Independent shoe retailers who are feeling the pinch is don’t give
up – talk to other retailers, it’s very important to communicated because it
helps to understand how things are different in various parts of the country
especially when times are tough. I find I gain confidence from talking to
others and knowing they are in the same situation. I still firmly believe in
two sales per year however I make sure that my discounts are more aggressive
than 5 years ago, occasionally I will also introduce a temporary discount in
certain areas as an introductory offer to a difficult season or for a new
brand.
For the first time this year I opened a pop up shop
for the month of February while I was refitting our premises on the high-street
and it had a fantastic reaction, I would definitely consider doing it again in
tough months of the year to clear sale stock.
How do you select your products – which criteria do you use / what
are your customers looking for?
“Footwear
for all the family since 1898” is something that we have always stood for so I
have this in the back of my mind when selecting products for the store. I try
to introduce new brands every few seasons to keep up to date with the trends
and to satisfy current customers and also draw in a few new ones. Customers
come to us looking for shoes that not only look great but fit well which is
incredibly important to us too. I do my research on particular colours and
trends that are going to be popular but I also rely on my gut instinct. I get
help from my staff – customer enquiries are noted down and I try to incorporate
them in my next season buy. For example we have recently noticed an increase in
demand for mother of the bride shoes therefore last season I brought in a small
selection of shoes and matching bags that I felt met that description.
Which footwear/fashion shows do you attend, how do you rate them?
I visit Pure
and Moda twice a year; I really enjoy the atmosphere at these shows and it
gives me an initial overview of what current brands that we stock are offering
for the following season. I do my research before so I know what to expect and
what I’m looking for but there is nothing quite like seeing all the aspects come
together in the Fashion shows that are displayed. By going round these shows
you get to see how the brands themselves believe they should be portrayed as
they have their own area which they merchandise accordingly. I also enjoy the
social side of it, catching up with retailers getting feedback on how their
previous season went, what brands worked for them and what didn’t and comparing
notes on the up and coming season.
Do you have a favourite
footwear agent?
I would have to say my favourite footwear agent is Kevin Oregan
who works for Josef Seibel. The whole company are willing to work with you
which is important for any retailer to know that the brand want the lines you
chose to work in your store just as much as you do. Kevin and Josef Seibel have
always made the effort to get to know and understand our business and therefore
do not give the hard sell when I am choosing my product range from them, they
have an understanding of what will work for us which makes it a really
enjoyable buying experience whenever I visit them.
Have you always had a passion for footwear?
I wouldn’t say I have
always had a passion for footwear, it was definitely something I grew into but
I would say without a doubt I have a passion for it now. I have an appreciation
for all parts of the footwear cycle from production, to buying to fitting the
shoe for a customer. It is incredibly satisfying fitting a customer with a pair
of suitable shoes when they believed they would never find a pair of
comfortable shoes.
How
many pairs of shoes do you own?
Not many! I own about 6 pairs of shoes - but I am definitely growing my collection due to the current progress in particular brands mixing comfort and style nicely.
Do you have a favourite pair?
Probably my Ecco walking
boots because they are incredibly durable and comfortable.
Any famous customers?
We serve Gloria Hunniford and her husband
Steven Way every now and then as they live in the area. I have also served Gary
Rhodes and David Milliband over the years.
And, the next step? Any plans for the future, new lines, retail
systems/new technology, etc.?
We finished refitting our main store
in Sevenoaks high-street in March to tie in with our 115th year of trading
which we were really excited about. I did most of the work myself and the
planning took almost two years but we are finally there! The feel of the shop has really been transformed and due to the massive increase in the lighting and the white shelving units the products on display really shine. It was great to give the shop a really fresh and modern feel to keep customers coming back and attracting new ones! Sometimes all it takes is a lick of paint and a move around with displays and the shop has a whole new feel, I don't recommend a refit to every it takes a lot of work!
To tie in with our new
look we have introduced a few new fashion brands, two of those being Pedro
Miralles a Spanish family run brand with an excellent eye for fashion products
and Barbour the brand that needs no introduction well known for its clothing. We stock the Barbour footwear which is relatively new to the market but offers a great range of weather durable stylish boots and shoes. However
we still stock our classic wide fitting comfort shoes as well. Plans for the
future I would say are to expand our stores further , I would like to open a
high end fashion branch of Hoads at some point but right now what is important
to us is investing in what we have – focusing on our online store, in
satisfying our customers and attracting new ones because after all that is why
we are still here today after 115 years.
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