Footwear and Accessories Wholesaler For Sale

Business description

This independent and successful footwear, wholesale business was established in 2001 and distributes wholesale throughout the UK and other international regions a comprehensive portfolio of men’s, women’s and children’s footwear, brands and accessories to a loyal community of customers; predominantly to small traders and independents.

Orders are place for the most part online through the business’s secure website with online payment. For those unaccustomed to online purchasing the business offers a telephone ordering service, providing confidence and comfort for those new customers building a new trading relationship.

Product categories include:

• Ladies Sandals & Mules
• Ladies Shoes & Trainers
• Ladies Boots
• Men’s Footwear
• Children’s Footwear
• Belts and Accessories

The business wholesales hundreds of product lines with new items added weekly in a comprehensive online catalogue and distributed throughout the UK and internationally, though this remains an unexploited growth area of trade. The products are ex-chainstore, catalogue and manufacturer’s clearance stocks; with whom the Vendor maintains excellent trading relationships.

This company is well recognized and highly respected in the industry having developed a significant reputation through its combination of products and customer service. The company has become a “one-stop-shop” for footwear products and accessories for a great many of its customers and has the advantage of having service excellence as standard.
The business operates from a prime location in Northamptonshire and has established itself as a leading independent wholesaler for footwear products and accessories to the small independent trader. Many current customers have been loyal to the business since the very beginning and this has been due in no small part to the business’s competitive prices, quality products, first class service and attention to detail.
The business has always believed in the pursuit of excellence, constantly reviewing and updating its service commitment and its methods of business, for example its inventory management system and stock holding, ensuring that valued customers consistently receive the very best service and quality of product.
The business has shown itself to be resilient in the face of competitive and economic forces and has maintained strong and incremental growth over its nearly 7 years of trading. The business is further supported by exemplary relations with key suppliers who have helped to ensure that whatever the product, service and availability is never compromised and that customers are as a result never let down. This commitment to supply chain relationships has underpinned this business’s abilities in product quality and sustained business growth.
A key component has been customer service which is focused to a great extent on the quality and ease of use of the website, the place where the reputation of the business can be made or lost. Understanding this has meant that the business has prioritised this area such that it represents as much a high quality promise for its products as it does being a ‘shop window’ for the business.

Property information

Property:

Leasehold

Lease terms:

Annual rent is currently circa £36,000 and rates are paid annually at circa £9,000, the current lease expires shortly and is available for renewal.

Location:

The business is located in an easily accessible and popular Market Town in Northamptonshire; close to Motorways trunk roads and other urban centres and operates from a circa 8,000 square feet, including warehouse, showroom, facilities, kitchen, parking area and administrative offices.
Annual rent is currently circa £36,000 and rates are paid annually at circa £9,000, the current lease expires shortly and is available for renewal.

Other information

Expansion potential:

The current market for this business’s services is stable and is forecast in the near and longer term for further growth, particularly with overseas customers. The business is well positioned to take maximum advantage of this growth as it occurs.

Competition / Market:

The business has used limited advertising in the past and there are excellent opportunities to increase this and market the business more aggressively to significantly increase turnover. The business has the benefit of an attractive website that comprehensively presents the business’s product lines and practical services as well as providing an insight into the ordering, payment and delivery. A high proportion of the business's revenue has been due to its excellent reputation for quality and service and strong word of mouth recommendation.

Support & training:

The current owner will provide all necessary training and all relevant contacts to allow continuity of trading.

Reasons for selling:

After many happy and successful years of trading the business is for sale as a result of the vendor’s wish to retire.