All C-Suite Interviews articles
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Palmroth plans to double its sales in three years
Palmroth is a family-owned footwear company based in Tampere, Finland, whose history dates back to 1928. Largely centered on winter shoes, the brand aims to double its sales volumes within the next three years. Run by Mikko Palmroth, who represents the third generation at the helm, the company sells annually ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Sioux sees light at the end of the tunnel in the German footwear market
Despite overtaking Japan to become the world’s third largest economy, Germany is a matter of concern for many observers due to its weak economy and depressed consumer confidence. In a comprehensive interview with Shoe Intelligence, Lewin Berner, the CEO of the German footwear company Sioux outlines his view about the ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Rohde enters the U.S. market and expands its European online business
Rohde is continuing its recovery by entering the U.S. market and expanding to most of Europe its business-to-consumer (B2C) online platform, which is currently limited to Germany. On May 3–4, 2023, Rohde took part as an “education sponsor” in the Leadership Conference of the US National Shoe Retailers Association held ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Easywalk aims to consolidate the Covid-19 boom
IGF is a producer of sandals and slippers for men, women and children, sold under the brand name Easywalk, situated in the footwear cluster of Barletta in the South Italian region of Puglia. In 2022, it booked sales of €4 million, underpinned by demand for comfortable clothing by people housebound ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: El Naturalista continues recovering and investing in new projects
El Naturalista expects sales to rise by 5 percent in 2023, after a 4 percent advance in 2022, as the Rioja-based footwear company continues to recover from the sharp decline caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Jorge Hernández, the company’s global sales manager. After achieving a turnover of €28 ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Italy shoe making is attracting investments but faces labor constraints
The Italian footwear industry is attracting investment from luxury goods brands and financial investors, which is bolstering its competitiveness. However, the industry’s development remains hamstrung by a lack of skilled labor, explains Giovanna Ceolini, the president of Assocalzaturifici, the Italian footwear association, in an exclusive interview with Shoe Intelligence. ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Pablosky ready to leave the beaten track to explore new markets
Even though Spain remains its main market, Pablosky, a Spanish company specialized in children’s shoes, has been very active over the past decades at developing its international reach. And in doing so, it often abandoned the beaten track to explore new geographies. The company, which was founded in 1969, first ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Autry’s owner looks to cash in on success as it puts the brand up for sale
The owner of the fast-growing sneakers brand Autry is looking to cash in on its success with a sale to a new investor. The private equity Made in Italy Fund, managed by the Italian asset management company Quadrivio and the fashion consultancy Pambianco, acquired a controlling stake in Autry along ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: On-demand production is key to Alohas’ success
Alohas’ revenues surged from €100,000 in 2015 to over €27 million in 2022, an extraordinary growth rate that has transformed in a few years a Catalan startup producing summer shoes into an international brand. The company made the quantum leap during the Covid-19 pandemic, when most of the footwear industry ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: NeroGiardini aims to double in three years its sales from the Covid-19 trough
After three difficult years, that led to a significant reduction in sales, NeroGiardini is focusing on new markets to sell its wholly Italian made footwear. This year the Italian company will be entering the South Korean market.
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Producers and retailers have to work together to prosper
In a wide-ranging interview, Bart van Helvoirt, the co-founder and CEO of Unlimited Footwear Group (UFG), outlines his views on the overall economic situation, the evolution of the supply chain and the shifting relationship between shoe makers, resellers and end users. Before discussing about your company and ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Covid has highlighted the importance of trade fairs
The Covid-19 outbreak demonstrated that digital solutions “on their own” could not replace trade shows canceled due to the pandemic, noted Luca Palermo, the chief executive of Fiera Milano, which manages the Rho exhibition hall as well as exhibition pavilions in Milan and the Allianz MiCo convention center. The Italian ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Bioeco gears up for big push in Europe, prepares to test the U.S. market
Bioeco by Arka 1927, the brand of the Polish company Arka, is looking for agents in Germany, France, Spain and Italy as it readies for a big push in sales. The company will also be present at Magic Las Vegas, scheduled from Aug. 8 to 10, to test the U.S. ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Safety Jogger to launch a workwear collection in November
Safety Jogger, the leading brand of the Belgian footwear and apparel company Cortina, is diversifying into workwear after having entered the outdoor market with the Safety Jogger Adventure footwear collection launched in May. The workwear range, which will include 6,000 stock-keeping units (SKUs) of footwear, apparel and accessories, will be ...
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ArticleC-suite interview: Casteller to expand in the U.S., domestically to return to pre-pandemic levels
Casteller, the Spanish brand mainly known for its women’s shoes made with jute soles, aims to expand its presence in the U.S. as well as boost domestic sales to return to pre-pandemic levels. Despite recouping some of the revenues lost in 2020 because of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Bulgarian shoemaker VES profits from reshoring to Europe
In a recent article, we spoke to Turkish footwear manufacturers who benefited from the reshoring to Europe and the Mediterranean basin of production previously located in the Far East and other Asian countries. The move is motivated by the proximity of European markets, the need for brands to rapidly respond ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Pittards ‘open for business’ with turnkey footwear manufacturing solution
A leather maker approaching its 200-year milestone, Pittards is now looking to the next century with plans for an expanded role in the production of footwear and other finished projects. To that end, Pittards recently launched a vertically integrated-solution for footwear, offering services starting with the sourcing of leather up ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Fly Flot sees 2022 sales rising to €28m
When the founders of Fly Flot established the company in 1985, they had a clear idea that their focus would be on foreign markets. That’s why Luigi Migliorati along with his five brothers and two non-family-members, decided to give the new company an international sounding name. Today, despite the impact ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Covid-19 has masked the surge of regional integration in Asia-Pacific
In an exclusive interview with Shoe Intelligence, William Wong, the founder and head of the Hong Kong-based footwear company Goddess International, and the representative of the Confederation of International Footwear Association (CIFA), sheds light on the impact of regional integration in Asia-Pacific, the growing role of the region in design ...
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ArticleC-Suite interview: Maypol recovers after being hit by Covid-19
There’s a place where jute, the material used to produce espadrilles, is considered a cultural heritage. This place is Caravaca de la Cruz in the footwear cluster of Spain’s Murcia region. Maypol, among other footwear companies, is based there since 1992. A family-run company whose name stems from the combination ...
