There was a period in South Africa from around 1990 when it was almost impossible to find a good , natural running shoe , as retailers would not buy in the available racing type shoes . Commercial interests were determining sales , and a major factor in the dominance of high drop , rigid shoes was their commercial profitability , for both the manufacturer and the retailer . This was largely due to the global mass movement towards big city marathons with large numbers of participants , particularly in London and New York , which saw more and more joggers out on the street , and more and more manufacturers producing shoe models marketed as ideal for the average person . The running shoe market soon became oversubscribed , and retailers could not , and today still cannot , afford to stock every manufacturer and every model . Consider that there are around 10 major running shoe manufacturers , and each has around eight models , with men ’ s and women ’ s versions , and
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to have just one size in stock for everyone , the retailer needs around 10 shoes . So just to have one shoe size of all major manufacturers model in stock , you are looking at around 1600 shoes !
This is the retailer ’ s conundrum … Consider that the average shoe price is now around R2500 . Given that retailers need to cover costs tax and profits , they would likely buy that shoe from the agents at around 60 % of the sales price , which would be around R1500 . This means the stock would need to be R2.4 million just to hold one shoe in each size of all major manufacturers ’ ranges ! That would be money sitting in stock , not earning interest – and there is no guarantee that all sizes will sell , even over time . ( Also , if I purchase a pair of size 8s , one of the most popular sizes , then the next person looking for that size will be out of luck .)
This is the reason most retailers only stock the leading manufacturers , and the leading models from those brands , so that their capital is invested in say a total
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And the challenge doesn ’ t stop there , because the agent can only order or import the shoe if he has an order for over 500 pairs of a model . That sounds a small number , but if each retailer is only buying 20 shoes of a particular model , then the agent needs to find 25 willing retailers . While this sounds easy over an entire country , it ’ s not if you are dealing in a relatively new or unknown brand , or a model or style that hasn ’ t gained popularity yet .
Why Jogging Shoes Dominate in SA
Given that a high heel height with good heel cushioning and control can provide both comfort and stability for walking and jogging , it is easy to see how such shoes have dominated the running market in SA from the 80 ’ s to early 2000 ’ s . The sport and fashion chain stores , in particular , could buy in large numbers of a small selection of known major running brands , such as adidas or Asics , and sell them not only as running shoes , but also as casual , hiking and general leisure shoes . By focusing on one or two models fitting many categories , they would get significant discounts from brands for large quantities ordered , and so could either sell cheaper than running specialists , or make greater profits .
The situation was exacerbated by political and sporting isolation in SA , as a number of manufacturers withdrew from the country in protest of its apartheid system . As a result , in the 1990 ’ s Asics commanded
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Images : Martin Eric / Wikimedia & courtesy Beyond Books , Comrades Marathon , Runners Goal , Nike & Wikimedia |