Romer: "Who does not keep up with the times - may close in 2020"

Gaydarovich Dmitry Vitalyevich, Deputy General Director for Sales, in the company for 4 years. About business, market changes, sales secrets and good branding.

- Let's start with the story of creation. Why such a brand name and how is it translated? Where is your shoes made?

Company Romer appeared 12 years ago, in 2007, the name of the company and brand - Romer - we chose after numerous studies and tests on focus groups. So our brand was created. We have our own production area of ​​6000 sq.m., which is located in Kaluga, where more than 250 employees work. In addition, our shoes are produced at partner factories certified by the company in Russia and other countries.

- What do you focus on when creating a collection? What materials are shoes made from?

All Romer shoes are made only from natural materials - this is the basis of our concept. We develop blocks ourselves. A few years ago, we supported the concept of import substitution, so we buy most of the materials from which we make shoes in Russia and Belarus.

Romer shoes are in the middle + price segment, so we focus on middle-aged men and women - from 35 years and older, for whom lightness, comfort and quality are important. In addition, now we are working on the development of models that are designed to interest buyers of a younger age - from 25 years old. We will present a new line of sneakers for the fall-winter'21 season at the next industry exhibitions.

- Your secret to success. How to create a shoe collection so that it sells well?

Creating a collection is one of the most important stages in the production of shoes, so each employee considers it his honorable duty to take part in work on it. Not only technologists, fashion designers, employees of sales and marketing departments work, but also our clients, who give us ideas, share feedback from end consumers. Also, due to the convenient location of our production, the cost of importing products is reduced, which allows us to compete with European shoes of the middle + segment in all basic characteristics. The combination of these factors gives us an advantage, and we are moving in the right direction.

- Do you have single-brand retail stores? Are you going to move in this direction?

We have an understanding that it is necessary to move in this direction, because without our retail network we will be limited in development. This is a crucial stage, requiring large investments and efforts. Currently, the project is under discussion, market research and free niches. We specifically test various promotion options: our own outlets, development through a franchise, Shop-in-Shop.

- What technologies are you going to introduce or have already implemented?

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Despite the fact that the technology for the production of shoes has irreplaceable principles, we can say with confidence that our experts are in a constant search for new ideas. We actively monitor new trends, test materials, finishing methods, and participate in specialized exhibitions in Europe and Asia. There is always something new that we successfully apply. In our production, we produce shoes with long and strobelny methods of fastening, recently mastered the production of sandals and moccasins, for this it took a little to update the equipment park.

- Are you ready for labeling? Will you label it yourself?

We were among the first to participate in the pilot project, so there was more time to develop, test and launch. Since June 2019, all of our shoes have been marked, and then shipments through the Honest Sign were successfully tested. Today, in stores there is a product marked according to all the rules.

- How to make shoes in offline stores sell better than on Wildberries and Lamoda?

Marketplaces in recent years have been a serious competitor to traditional retail - offline stores, as they say now. This is a market trend, but this does not mean that the stores will disappear completely. Of course, in order to compete with e-commerce, many store owners will have to try, but this is entirely possible. The modern customer cares about the service, assortment, choice, high level of service. In addition, I believe that there is more confidence in monobrand stores than just the “Shoes” sign. Modern IT systems offer very interesting, in my opinion, opportunities for loyalty programs, these are cumulative bonuses, discounts, etc. Well, no one forbids combining online and offline trading. A store can also be a point of issuing Internet orders, it can maintain its own Instagram page, etc. It is quite possible to compete with market placements for leadership.

- How will the shoe business develop in your opinion?

The era of global change has reached the shoe market. On the one hand, we see a steady trend in the development of online trading, in particular marketplaces are developing: Wildberries, Lamoda; We see a steady increase in sales from these sites.

On the other hand, there is a clear tendency towards market consolidation. We expect a redistribution of the market due to the consolidation of large players and the disappearance of those who were not able to reorganize on modern "rails". Now it’s getting harder for small players and small shop owners. Who does not keep up with the times - may close in 2020.

We hope that the introduction of labeling will play a positive role and improve the market, eliminating the huge amount of gray imports. We love competition, so for us the future of the shoe market seems very optimistic!

Interviewed by Ekaterina Sergeeva