Under its new owner, Hotter Shoes intends to increase the number of pairs it manufactures annually in British facilities to one million.
The footwear specialist’s intended “phasing out” of production at its Skelmersdale, Lancashire, factory has been rescinded by WoolOvers, who acquired the retailer out of administration last year.
According to reports, the new owner intends to increase local manufacture to three-quarters of the shoes sold by Hotter, up from 25 per cent currently.
“We quickly realised that what the customer bought into was the UK-manufactured, the comfort fit, and the products they knew and loved, rather than the exports from India that were a bit more fashion-forward but didn’t come in the range of fits and widths that were going to work with an older person’s feet,” stated Mike Lester, chief executive of WoolOvers.
According to him, sourcing from India was only marginally more expensive than producing in Britain.
“It is a better story for the UK, and we want to make it here, employ people, and control the quality so that the customer gets what they want. We can arrive here and take on the Indian competitors,” he continued.
After owner Unbound brought in administrators for the shoe company, Hotter Shoes was saved by WoolOvers in a US $ 8.72 million pre-pack agreement last July.
The firm, which operates 30 stores in the UK and sells both online and through catalogues, said that in the first year following the acquisition, sales had increased to US $ 65.1 million from US $ 58.59 million.
