Image via WikipediaC & J Clark is the UK’s largest shoe retailer with a market share of almost 10%. It is still a family controlled company which was founded by Quaker brothers Cyrus and James Clark in Somerset in 1825. It sells 41millino pairs of shoes each year with sales of £1.05bn.
The shareholding is split between a large number of the family and they must feel vulnerable having so much wealth locked into one company With all the Icelandic banking problems remind us all of the fall of Barings Bank there must be a business plan to diversify the ownership. It is all so very different from the Active Equity Companies in the Cambridge Cluster where we will never see any family dynasties. But then who wants to stay in Cambridge for ever?
I guess we will always need shoes but they have become a fashion item – not that you would know it by looking at my footwear!
My first pair of Meindl boots fitted like a glove and I was very happy. Why did I not keep them? The second pair were a disaster with the right foot eating into my heal until I could hardly walk. I took them back to Open Air in Cambridge but even a hot bath softening treatment failed to make them wearable to me.
So up to Ambleside and a visit to F.W.Tyson who have specialised in footware since 1887. Luckily for me Mr Tyson was available and after sixty one years (soon to be sixty two) he knows the best boots for each customer. Last year he got me walking again with a light Lowa boot which is great for walking but not so good on keeping out water. After a long discussion – well, you do not buy boots often so what is the rush – we agreed on a pair of Lowa Military Mountain GTX boots.
The first two walks have gone well and the next may see me on the top of Fairfield. The boots have a high ankle support which gives me confidence and it is so nice splashing through the streams and not having to worry about wet feet.
Image via WikipediaC & J Clark is the UK’s largest shoe retailer with a market share of almost 10%. It is still a family controlled company which was founded by Quaker brothers Cyrus and James Clark in Somerset in 1825. It sells 41millino pairs of shoes each year with sales of £1.05bn.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=0b2769ed-3f28-40ae-927e-edb840c84cf7)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=41bf3eb1-5912-4273-bd7b-34c8d3ce912b)