Repair it!

At the beginning of the crisis, experts predicted that a drop in purchasing power would positively affect the market for shoe repair services, and their profit would increase by 1,5-2 times. Was this hypothesis confirmed? What does a consumer actually choose today: buy or repair? The answers to these and other questions were sought by Liliana Berger.

The overall result of 2009 of the year: workshops bring a steady income, but the expected increase in orders has not yet occurred.

Now in Moscow, the shoe repair segment, as in retail, is represented by three types: high, medium, mass market.

Luxury renovation. The brightest representatives of this type are the Top Top Shoes and Safyan companies, which have whole networks of shoe shops. Reception points are located either in shopping centers (for example, XL, Mercado, Shoe Bazaar, Bucharest), or in supermarkets (Seventh Continent, Azbuka Vkusa, Perekrestok).

Elite workshops work according to two schemes: either they repair your shoes on the spot, in the same shopping center, or they take the shoes to the repair center. The lead time depends on its complexity. Prices on average range from 1000 to 1500 rubles.

The repair mass market is an abundance of glazed no name booths near the metro or in the basement floors of old buildings. Masters work alone. Some carry out the order without leaving their office, others are sent to hammer at home apartments. Their clients are usually senior citizens and low-income people. The price of such repairs is within 200-400 rubles.

It is believed that the cobblers of cheap workshops are unprofessional self-taught. However, today there are such units: for ten masters there is only one “cold shoemaker”. The crisis has seriously erased this segment of the business.

The third type is repair of the middle price segment. These workshops gained their authority over decades. As a rule, their employees can turn any old ragged shoe into an elegant shoe. And the ratio of quality, favorable price and warranty period captivates even representatives of the Moscow elite.

Before the start of perestroika, there were 8 state shoe factories in Moscow, at which 50-60 repair shops worked. In total, there were about a thousand of them along with private enterprises in the city. Over the past twenty years, the number of workshops has increased several times. It is impossible to count them, since today repair services are offered in almost every Moscow yard. Competition has grown, but customers have not increased. Therefore, the level of profit is in one place.

Another obstacle to profit growth is cheap shoes. Imagine that a heel suddenly broke in boots worth 600 rubles. Will the client give their absolute price for repairs? Most likely no. It is much more profitable to buy new ones.

“Only the prosperous part of the population saves their money and shoes. It is much cheaper for them to replace the heel than to spend $ 500 on the purchase of a new pair of boots, ”explains Grigory Brudko, director of Safyan.

About 80% of the services provided account for women's shoes. The frequency of calls to replace heel caps, heels, arch supports and zippers depends on the intensity of walking, individual gait, weather conditions and quality of roads. Men's shoes, by contrast, are rare guests in workshops - only 15%. Basically, it is brought in order to do prophylaxis or to glue the sole. Even less often, shoemakers deal with children's shoes - in 5-8% of cases. The reason is that children grow up quickly, not having time to bring it to the degree of repair.

According to a survey of workshops, shoes of past seasons are rarely brought. Basically, they repair a new one - change the heels, strengthen the heels, make winter preventive maintenance.

For the Moscow elite

Elite workshops work according to European standards. This and expensive equipment, and consumables of French, Italian, Spanish and German manufacturers. The company "Top Top Shoes" has more than 20 collection points in the city. For the convenience of customers, they are located in supermarkets and shopping centers. The consultant takes the order, then the forwarder takes the shoes to the production, where they repair it.

According to Sergey Illarionov, CEO of Top Top Shoes, the company offers its customers a wide selection of heels - more than 700 types, wear-resistant heels made of solid Italian polyurethane, and preventive measures to protect the leather sole. It is selected by thickness and color, so as not to spoil the appearance of the model.

Repair networks also have their own loyalty programs. For regular customers discount cards are provided. The client repaired the shoes for the third time - received a card for 5% discount. For customers who spent 20 thousand rubles on repairs, the company gives a card for a discount of 10%.

“All types of work are performed on German Hardo equipment. It allows you to do almost jewelry work. For example, the machine sticks thin prevention prophylactically and imperceptibly. Manually, that won’t work out, ”says Sergey Illarionov.

The main advantage is that all the masters here are restoration shoe designers who studied with specialists from French schools. Everyone knows that France is a country of fashion, grace and impeccable taste, respectively, and the repair there is at the highest level. The craftsmen are ready to not only repair the shoes, but also give advice on the choice of heels, decor and a suitable repair.

One of the oldest shoe workshops in Moscow is the Safyan company. Masters undertake exclusive work - they make original decor, tune shoes with rhinestones, snake leather, drawings, and heels are made by hand. They will even repair shoes that they refused to repair in other workshops. For example, handmade Cossacks can completely change the sole - stitch, alcohol, punch with wooden nails.

Along with the advantages, elite workshops have one small drawback - a limited target audience. Wealthy people have more than two pairs of shoes in use, so the need for repair does not often arise. Revenues from orders do not immediately justify expensive machines, supplies and rent. Full payback of such a workshop is possible only after 5-7 years.

The master of business is not afraid!

Oleg Yeskov from 1988 year was engaged in tailoring shoes. And in the year 1992 began to engage in repair. Ten months ago he opened his workshop in the very center of Moscow. The costs of everything needed amounted to 800 thousand rubles.

For work, Oleg bought equipment from a Chinese manufacturer - for only 150 thousand rubles. In his work, he uses polyurethane raw materials of the Italian company Vibram (Raptor Vibram for winter shoes as a preventive measure against slipping), the French Topy.

“The client must pick up the shoes from the repair as new. If I can’t provide this due to deep wear, I recommend buying a new one, ”Oleg explains.

The shoe shop business can be recouped quickly. It all depends on the location. According to Oleg, the center is not a good place for business development. There are no customers at all on weekends. On weekdays, things go differently - from 8 to 20 customers per day.

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About the golden mean

Repair is an inevitability arising at the most inopportune moment. When a girl is in a hurry to a business meeting or a love date, the heel suddenly breaks, the heel flies off or lightning diverges! An ambulance is the nearest workshop, where in the hands of a master shoe maker shoes will find a new life. Very lucky if there is a middle class workshop nearby. This means that for the success of the repair business, proximity to the customer plays the biggest role.

“We make urgent orders often. Especially in autumn and spring. The most common problems are flying off heels or scratches on the toe. The work is carried out for a maximum of 25 minutes, ”says Vera Smirnova, receptionist at the Shoes-Service workshop at Pokrovka.

According to Grigory Brudko, today any shoes can be repaired, even with molten soles and spoiled reagents. It all depends on the skill of the shoemaker and the amount that the client plans to spend.

The city network "Shoe workshop" is engaged in complex restoration work: hauling shoes, closes defects with decorative appliqués and rhinestones, makes a zipper tie. The workshop also takes on the modernization of shoes, that is, changing the model, for example, changing the shape of the toe on old-fashioned models.

“It happens and correct factory defects. Very often they bring shoes with improperly screwed-in heels or poorly stitched seams, ”shared Tatyana and Evgeny Bronnikovs, owners of the Shoe Workshop.

Does investing?

Opening a mid-level shoe shop by today's standards is relatively inexpensive pleasure. Starting investments excluding the cost of renting a room - about 500 thousand rubles. The main expenses will be spent on equipment. The cost of Russian machines is 60 thousand rubles, European - from 500 thousand rubles, not including delivery. The necessary tools (heating dryer, side cutters, pliers, etc.) and consumables (raw materials for repair) will cost 60 thousand rubles. Payment for electricity and other utilities for the first year of operation will not exceed 35 thousand rubles.

Among other things, it is necessary to ensure decent business promotion - to place the workshop’s website on the Internet, taking into account the payment of its monthly support, as well as order outdoor advertising. This will empty the pocket by at least 20 thousand rubles.

The standard staff is a receiver and two craftsmen. The salary of employees will be paid based on the calculation of output and interest on each order. The area of ​​the leased premises must be at least 30 sq. m. The rental price will depend on the location and area of ​​the city. In Moscow, this is 210 thousand rubles per month at least (7 thousand rubles per sq. M in remote areas). We must not forget about taxes and other monthly deductions.

The workshop payback period for orders from 6 to 10 pairs per day is about 3-5 years.

Pricing Policy for Mid-Sized Companies

What is being repaired more often?

The most common service is restoration. More than 65% of customers are asked to replace or restore worn-out shoe elements and parts.

Very often there is such a type of repair as the replacement of arch support - rollers that support the arch of the foot. Failure of arch support in 43% is typical for Italian and Turkish shoes. Tender material does not stand the test of Russian roads.

Current technology allows women to avoid the unpleasant sensation of “pencil in a glass”. Many shoe shops suture the shafts, fitting boots under the client's feet. The boot is sutured along the back seam, as a result of which there are no traces left.

You can stretch the top if the boots are too small.

If desired, a major repair is possible - until the shoe is completely updated with replacement of the upper and lining parts, as well as a change in the design of the bottom of the shoe.

Business profitability

«The main thing in the work of the workshops is quality, price and the accumulated base. In the current situation, I would not agree to open a repair business, ”says Grigory Brudko.

Great competition in the market does not allow the income of shoe shops to grow. For newcomers to this business, the situation is not only unprofitable, but also poses a significant risk of loss of meaningless investment. You can increase business income if, on the basis of your own workshop, you can provide a range of domestic services for repairing clothes, replacing zippers, and repairing bags.