Profit Shoes forays into new vertical

Hyderabad Vijayawada-based Profit Shoes has ventured into a new vertical. The three-decade-old footwear brand from Telugu States has opened a shoe experience store – Rapport in the city at Jubilee Hills/ Filmnagar on Friday. The store, with 6,000 sq ft, is equipped with shoe laundry and leather restoration.

"We have invested Rs 5 crore on the new showroom and the stock. We will set up 3 to 4 similar stores in Hyderabad in Gachibowli, Kukatpally and other areas and might invest Rs 20 crore on this expansion which will happen by the end of next fiscal," said Teja Bodepudi, Founder and Chief Innovator of Rapport, as well as Director of Profit Shoes.

"We will expand to Guntur in Andhra Pradesh by December. We will also foray into all major metros of the country in near future," he informed. "We are expecting a turnover of Rs 5 crore in this fiscal and aims Rs 11 -12 crore in the next financial year. In the coming years, shoe buying is going to be more complicated as the technology is being integrated into the shoe."

Thanks to wearable technology, smart shoes are on the rise. The next-gen footwear is coming with more challenging product design and utility value. Nike's Zoom Vaporfly running shoes help athletes run 4 per cent faster. Nike already has self-tying shoes. The Adapt BB — Nike's dream to create an auto-lacing smart shoe that adapts to wearers' feet is now a reality.

"After smart homes, we have smart shoes that are digitally connected. The shoes with GPS can track the children, blind, and senior citizens. Shoes with sensors embedded in them have been created to alert blind and visually impaired people to obstacles in their path. There are vegan shoes, made up of vegan material," said Teja.

Taking care of shoes is taxing. There is no professional service offered to service premium shoes. As a result, people often ignore their problem with shoes. And rather prefer buying a new pair instead of repairing the old ones. The new trend in the market is shoe laundry and restoration of the leather. It provides cleaning, repairing, colouring, drying and dying too.

Gait analysis is a tool used to assess the way one walks and runs. Free gait analysis is provided as part of a shoe fitting process at Rapport. The set-up comprises an analysis station with a treadmill, camera, and a laptop equipped with sensor software. It evaluates foot patterns and fits into a running shoe, he added.