Shoe store

I am toying with the idea of opening a shoe shop geared towards younger clientelle, along the lines of a footlocker, selling designer type runners and shoes that you would not get in the standard sports shops.... Kickers, Rockport, Timberland etc and would very much appreciate any pointers as to where I might begin to look for wholesale suppliers of footwear.

Regards and thanks.

My son likes a lot of those younger trendy brands and they seem to be pretty well represented here:

This is not a good environment to be getting into retail.

If you have not worked in the business before, you should get a job in the sector first.

Brendan

Not to rain on your parade but as Brendan said, this is not the best enviornonment to commence such a business. Bear in mind also that while designer brands have appeal to the younger ( and sometimes not so young ) clientele, what is the position now and in the next couple of years expected to be vis a vis disposable income amoung the younger generation? Also, in relation to footwear, while margins are generally good ,sale times and discounted and end of- lines can mean effective margins well below the apparent full price margin. If you do not have any direct experience in footwear, then you need someone very good and experienced on board or you need to gain that experience.

Specifically on wholesalers, if you google "footwear wholesalers" Ireland, you will get a list of some. Also a lot of the brands you mentioned will likely come through UK or continental agents. A bit of research here on brands, margins etc. could be a good start.

Something else, a new phenomenon among the younger buyers is to go into a shop selling the brand you like, check it out get the size right then buy online. It's happening quite a lot.

Theres not really a gap in the market for this, loads of places already sell designer footwear. And as Graham says, most younger people would buy online if it was cheaper as well.