Pittards to build on footwear opportunities

Producing leather for the footwear industry provides the biggest growth opportunity for tanning group Pittards, according to company chairman Stephen Yapp. His comment was included in the UK-based group’s recently-published annual report, which showed that business revenue had increased year-on-year by 12 per cent to £30.3 million.

Mr Yapp reported that the footwear and performance glove markets are still the foundations of Pittards’ business, and highlighted that the company is targeting new customers within these existing markets. However, he also added that Pittards is working to develop sales in a number of new sectors such as interiors which, the annual report states, increased its share of total leather usage from 7 per cent in 1990 to 27 per cent in 2015.

In November 2017, Pittards opened a new shoe factory in Ethiopia to boost the tannery and glovemaking facilities it already operates there. Some 70 members of staff who hand-stitch shoes are employed in the new facility, which was formally opened by British secretary of state for international trade, Dr Liam Fox.

“Global companies are increasingly looking to Ethiopia as a manufacturing location, creating a further opportunity for Pittards Ethiopia.” said Mr Yapp.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 4 of the May 2018 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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