Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes launches nationwide TV ad campaign

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:42:34 GMT

Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes has launched a nationwide TV advertising campaign highlighting the thoughts of the people who wear their comfortable shoes and starring four customers.

The UK's biggest shoe manufacturer, which will make nearly 1.5 million pairs of shoes this year, commissioned a nationwide search to find passionate customers who simply love Hotter shoes to feature in the TV campaign.

"Our customers’ comments and thoughts about our shoes fuel and inspire our designers when they're creating stylish new designs for our ultra comfy shoes," said Range Director Paul Sayers. "Every day we receive feedback into our call centre, website, Facebook page and stores, telling us how important it is that these stylish women can find comfy shoes to keep them on their feet through their busy, active lives. We already have our first million happy customers and our design team is dedicated to creating the next."

Owner of 20 pairs of Hotter shoes, teacher Susan Robinson from Leeds, stars in the TV advert and loves the comfort features she feels every time she wears them. "I like to walk a lot and can walk for hours in my Hotter shoes. Wearing them means I can be on my feet all day and not worry about a thing."

Former Dior, Yves St Laurent and Jaeger model, Jenni Rhodes from London, who has worked in fashion, textiles and now makes jewellery, also took part in the day of filming. "I love the perfect fit of Hotter Shoes and there is always a choice in the catalogue for each season and every occasion that suits me perfectly."

The advert features some of Hotter's top selling women's shoes with each and every pair packed full of Hotter's famous comfort concept features including wiggle room for toes, super soft leathers and suedes and lightweight, flexible soles. Hotter makes shoes with a selection of adjustments, half sizes and extra width fittings and has an online shoe fitting guide to help find the perfect fit.

Hotter's customer stories and the shoes featured in the advert can be found at www.hotter.com and the Hotter Shoes YouTube channel.

About Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes:
One in every three pairs of all shoes made in the UK are made in Hotter's Lancashire factory - the company is forecast to make nearly 1.5 million pairs of shoes this year, making it the biggest shoe manufacturer in the UK. The company was set up in 1959, introducing the Hotter brand in the 1990s with the aim of creating "the world's most comfortable footwear, continuously delighting customers".

Hotter Shoes introduces 12 new ladies styles

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:31:42 GMT

Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes has revealed 12 new ladies styles in its Spring collection.

Designed to offer the ultimate comfort experience, every pair of Hotter Shoes is crammed with features to make feet happy, from space for toes to wiggle to ultra-soft padding to hug heels. The new collection includes a selection of classic and contemporary shoes to put a spring in the step for any occasion including work shoes, holiday sandals and even cute, colourful boots for cooler spring days.

"We've been listening very carefully to customer feedback and have included several new styles in this early Spring collection which we think will offer 'Mrs Hotter' an opportunity to spend even more time in her favourite footwear brand," commented Range Director, Paul Sayers. "Ladies who buy Hotter shoes lead busy, active lives and they need to be confident that the smart shoes they choose will be comfortable from the moment they first put them on.

"For our new designs this season we have scrutinised our customers' feedback and added in styles with some of the most popular features they have requested; so we have fashionable wedge soles, pretty hand stitching and even floral detail to give stand-out appeal. Stylish, comfy heels and flats fit the bill for smarter occasions and we’ve introduced a range of co-ordinated handbags to complement the season's fresh new looks.

"As usual colour is key; our customers can buy shoes in vibrant Hibiscus and rich soft Violet, whilst on trend nude shades include Nougat, Pewter and Soft Ecru," he added.

The majority of Hotter's comfy shoes and sandals come in sizes 3 to 9 with some half sizes, extra wide fitting shoes and EEE fittings. Anyone new to Hotter shoes will find a handy shoe fitting guide online, with details of how to find the perfect fit and Hotter offers a free Personal Shopping service for additional advice. Hotter shoes can also be purchased at 25 Hotter stores throughout the UK.

One in every three pairs of all shoes made in the UK are made in Hotter’s Lancashire factory - the company is forecast to make nearly1.5 million pairs of shoes this year, making it the biggest shoe manufacturer in the UK. The company was set up in 1959, introducing the Hotter brand in the 1990s with the aim of creating "the world's most comfortable footwear, continuously delighting customers".

About Hotter Shoes:
Hotter Comfort Concept is the UK's biggest shoe maker, with one of the most advanced production facilities in Europe.

Hotter Shoes makes a range of women's shoes and men's shoes which incorporate 'Comfort Concept' features including smooth internal seams, removable insoles, soft leather uppers and soft padding.

Nearly 1.5 million pairs of comfortable shoes will be designed and made in Hotter's UK factory during 2012 and will have shock absorbing soles which contain millions of air bubbles, making Hotter shoes incredibly light and giving the feeling of walking on air.

Hotter Shoes reveals one in three women carry extra pair of comfy shoes in case of pain

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:11:16 GMT

Hotter Shoes has revealed that one in three UK women carry a comfortable pair of shoes with them to swap into because they are anticipating pain, according to a new survey.

Women who work, rest and play are going to great lengths to remain on their feet longer, despite 81 per cent admitting to experiencing pain by wearing killer heels on a night out. But don't think that it's just fashionistas suffering for their art as an incredible 46 per cent of women admitted to walking in comfortable shoes to meet friends then changing into killer heels at the last minute.

The study into the footwear choices of 2,000 women was conducted by comfortable shoe specialist, Hotter Shoes which is looking at what motivates women's shoe choices for occasions.

Lisa McCarten of Hotter Shoes said: "The research highlights the amount of pain women encounter in uncomfortable shoes but shows they are willing to do something about it – logically shoes that look good and feel fantastic are the answer."

She added: "We were astounded to find comfy shoes often being seen as 'handbag accessories' in women’s daily lives. Shoes shouldn’t have to be worn in - it should be a pleasure to put on a brand new pair of shoes not a pain. At Hotter we know that women want shoes that look good and make them feel fantastic whatever they are doing."

A staggering 84 per cent of women wear killer heels on a night out, despite only one in ten saying they can find comfortable high heels.

34 per cent of women anticipate experiencing pain from their shoes within an hour of leaving home and 60 per cent carry plasters because they expect a blister or cut. More than half have ended an evening bare foot as they couldn't walk further in their uncomfortable shoes.

Half of the women surveyed said they buy new shoes to take on holiday and almost 60 per cent of them have experienced pain whilst abroad.

One in three has had to buy another pair of shoes when out of the house due to the level of discomfort experienced in the shoes they were wearing. A third of women in the UK walk to work in a comfortable pair of flats before changing into heels at their desk.

About Hotter Shoes:
The company, which was established in 1959, now has one of the most successful production facilities anywhere in the world. The 'Comfort Concept' in every pair of women's shoes includes features such as smooth internal seams; removable insoles; soft leather uppers and soft padding. The 1.7 million pairs of shoes that will be designed and made in Hotter's UK factory this year have shock absorbing soles which contain millions of air bubbles that make the shoes incredibly light and give a feeling of walking on air.

Hotter shoes makes a range of womens shoes and mens shoes that are designed to look stylish but secretly hide a raft of comfort features including padding at heels; roomy toe boxes and removable insoles. The shoes made in the Lancashire factory have polyurethane soles that contain millions of tiny air bubbles, making them incredibly lightweight, flexible and shock absorbing. The company also manufactures work shoes and extra wide shoes, as well as several other ranges.

Debenhams reveals mothers pass on the ability to walk in high heels

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:04:05 GMT

Debenhams revealed that a woman's ability to walk well in high heels is inherited from her mother, with balance, poise and even choice of heel height all passed on through the maternal line.

However, the debate over whether skilled high heeled walkers are born or made has still not been answered.

Debenhams Head of Accessories Design Natelle Baddeley said: "Whether it's genetics or training in teenage years, we may never know, but it’s clear that the saying 'like mother like daughter' applies to walking in heels."

The striking links between a mother and daughter's taste in high heels were revealed during recent Debenhams customer research into consumer trends. This is something that is also reflected in Hollywood A-listers and their daughters, such as actress Kate Hudson and her mother Goldie Hawn, who have been spotted in numerous photographs wearing similar shoes.

When asked about their perfect choice of high heeled shoes, women who were unrelated produced a wide range of answers, showing enormous statistical variance in heel height, style and colour. Mothers and daughters however, differed in their answers on all three topics by only a few percentage points, with a well-heeled 92% having matching answers.

Despite having a multitude of colours, styles and heel heights to choose from, each chose women's shoes which bore a remarkable resemblance to the other.

Daughters who loved four inch heels had mothers who also loved four inch heels.

When questioned on their favourite colour of shoes, 79% had the same answer. Mothers who loved striking reds had daughters who also loved striking reds.

Daughters who loved extremely narrow pointed heels also had mothers who loved extremely narrow pointed heels.

However, the most striking evidence suggesting a maternal link for the ability to wear high heels well emerged during crucial walk tests; a towering 87% of mothers who could stride confidently across a room in a wide range of heel heights had daughters who could do the same. Conversely, mums with limited heel height skills had appeared to have passed this deficit onto their offspring.

Debenhams Natelle Baddeley continued: "The correlation was striking. We could almost pick out who were mother and daughter in a crowd just by the similarities as they walked in high heels.

"Even though we now know that a link exists, we still don’t know what causes it.

"Is it genetics? Or do young girls become accustomed to and copy their mother’s tastes in shoes simply by wearing them during "dressing up" as a child?

"Our research suggests that all daughters are destined to literally step into their mother’s shoes as they grow older."

Debenhams research was conducted individually, so that choice in shoe style could be made free from an accompanying partner.

The small differences between a mother and daughter's tastes were most pronounced when the daughter was below the age of twenty, but converged again as they grew older. The link between mother and daughters extends across all demographics, including celebrities.

Even Suri Cruise, daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise has shoes which bears a remarkable resemblance to those worn by her mum, which Katie has said her daughter chooses herself.

About Debenhams:
Debenhams is a leading department stores group with a total of 167 stores in the UK, Republic of Ireland and Denmark. It offers a wide range of products across womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, lingerie, accessories, health and beauty, homeware and gifts.

Trading from over 12 million square feet of space, Debenhams employs nearly 29,000 people. In addition, it has 61 international franchise stores in 24 countries around the world.

Debenhams customer offer encompasses a unique combination of own brands, international brands and concession brands.

Own brands comprise own label brands - such as Red Herring, Mantaray, Maine New England, Debut and Bluezoo.

Debenhams’ online store is available at www.debenhams.com.

Hotter Comfort Concept reports high street sales increase

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:05:55 GMT

Hotter Comfort Concept, the North West-based shoe manufacturer, has recorded a sharp increase in sales in its high street stores fuelling its drive to increase its high street presence.

Hotter Comfort Concept shoes are being predominately purchased by women with busy, active lifestyles, who want comfortable shoes designed to stand the test of time. As spending on the high street continues to take a knock, Hotter's stores' sales figures from the start of 2010 demonstrate that consumers are still going crazy for its comfortable footwear. The shoe manufacturer has eight high street stores - and plans to have 25 open within the next two years.

Sales of Hotter shoes across its stores are up 93 percent from January to May 2009 when compared to January to May 2010.

Stewart Houlgrave, managing director at Hotter Comfort Concept, said: "We've noticed a trend with consumers buying more comfortable womens shoes as they start to think about their health and wellbeing.

"It's encouraging to see so many people address the health benefits they can get from a pair of shoes. People want shoes to look good, but they are thinking about the wider implications of what shoes are doing to their feet in the long term."

Hotter Comfort Concept prides itself on creating footwear that provides the upmost stylish comfort. Its designers hide comfort enhancing, and good health promoting, features in its shoes including shock absorbing soles, smooth internal seams and deep toe boxes, so toes can wiggle and flex. Every year Hotter makes more than 1.3 million pairs of shoes which it sells direct from its own call centre, online and from dedicated Hotter stores.

And it's not just shoes that consumers are going mad for; Hotter has recorded an increase in handbag sales across its stores of 79 percent increase from January 1st to May 31st.

Stewart Houlgrave continued: "The increase we have seen in sales across our Hotter stores is a really positive sign. Spending on the high street may still be down but we have witnessed an increase in people deciding to invest in good quality well made shoes, rather than waste money on throwaway fashion."

Hotter shoes, which are recommended by many of the UK's leading podiatrists, are available to buy direct from its UK call centre, via www.hotter.com and via 300 independent stockists.

ENDS

About Hotter Comfort Concept:
Hotter Comfort Concept targets the active over-fifties market where thousands of shoe shoppers are indulging their feet in the hidden comfort of Hotter shoes - designed, manufactured, packed and shipped from the Lancashire factory. Hotter manufactures more than 1.3 million pairs of shoes every year, including womens sandals, wide fitting shoes, womens slippers and womens boots - more than any other shoe maker in the country. For the last two years Hotter Comfort Concept has been named as one of the top 100 private investment backed companies in the UK by The Sunday Times.

Hotter's Shoes commitment to comfort revitalised by surprising survey results

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:36:35 GMT

Hotter Shoes, women's comfort shoe specialist, has pledged to continue its drive to create the world's most comfortable shoes following the surprising results of a new YouGov survey.

"We were amazed to find out that only one third of women wearing a pair of shoes which extremely hurt their feet would kick them off immediately and walk in bare feet," commented product design director, Paul Sayers, who leads a team of comfort shoe designers who are determined to take the 'owww' out of new shoes. "What was most worrying though was a hardcore of 15% would struggle on for more than 30 minutes and 45% would manage for at least ten minutes in shoes that caused them 'extreme pain'"

It's not just long term damage that women are subjecting their feet to according to this research, 63% of women have had blisters on their feet due to wearing a favourite pair of shoes and 44% of women aged 18 and over have endured burning sensations on the balls of their feet.

Hotter is committed to giving British women choice and pain free footwear. With its 50 year heritage the company has drawn up a list of comfort features which are essential to every pair of shoes it creates including leather uppers, deep toe boxes and supportive, flexible soles.

"Women need to start taking care of their feet and wearing shoes that not only fit properly, but ensure their feet can move around and breathe," added Paul. "Taking care of your feet now will pay dividends in the future and ensure you're not crippled with pain or worse still, facing surgery caused by poorly fitting shoes.

"At Hotter Comfort Concept all of our shoes are crafted to ensure feet are always in the best possible care. Whether it's the air bubbles that we inject into the soles of our shoes to provide comfort and support, or the wider fittings that are available to ensure the shoe fits as it should we are confident we are creating the most comfortable shoes our customers will ever wear."

Over the past 50 years Hotter has hand crafted thousands of comfortable women's shoes to ensure feet stay in the best condition. Hotter shoes are available in half sizes and extra wide fittings with soft cushioning and flexible soles.

ENDS

Notes to editors
All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1084 women. Fieldwork was undertaken between 7th - 9th April 2010. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB women (aged 18+).

About Hotter Comfort Concept:
Hotter Comfort Concept targets the active over fifties market where thousands of shoe shoppers are indulging their feet in the hidden comfort of Hotter shoes - designed, manufactured, packed and shipped from the Lancashire factory.

Hotter manufactures more than 1.3 million pairs of shoes every year, including women's sandals, extra wide shoes, work shoes and women's boots - more than any other shoe maker in the country.

Hotter shoes are recommended by many of the UK's leading podiatrists across the UK and are passionate about creating shoes that provide comfort and support to make sure feet stay in the best possible condition.

Women's shoe specialist, Hotter Comfort Concept, heralds 2010 with retail expansion

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 12:22:08 GMT

Hotter Comfort Concept, women's comfortable shoe brand, announces plans to open three new high street stores in 2010.

Making and selling womens shoes and mens shoes from its Lancashire headquarters the innovative comfort shoe brand has announced plans to open new Hotter Comfort Concept stores in Chichester, Eastbourne and Bromley in Spring 2010. Bucking retail trends, Hotter shoes, which marks its year end in January, is forecasting around 20% growth in difficult high street trading conditions.

"Following considerable research and targeting of prime 'Hotter' locations, these three new stores are the first steps in a roll-out retail expansion which utilises our existing, successful, retail blueprint," commented Marketing Director Lisa McCarten, "and is just one of several exciting ventures we plan to reveal in 2010.

"Our innovative approach to the women's shoes market has helped us stand out in a competitive market," she added, "we enjoy hands-on control of product development because we design and make 1.3 million pairs of shoes in our Lancashire factory every year. We also enjoy a fantastic relationship with our customers because we speak with them every day - in our five existing stores, via our 100 seater call centre and online through the website."

In the past 12 months Hotter has implemented a successful TV trial, re-launched the Hotter Shoes website with a more user friendly, transactional interface and refocused its direct marketing business, boosting its in-house team.

"As we enter the final month of our financial year we are heading into what we expect to be a buoyant sales period," added McCarten. This is sure to be helped by the start of the Hotter Comfort Concept end of year sale.

About Hotter Comfort Concept:
As one of the last bastions of shoe manufacturing in the UK, the 380 staff of Hotter Comfort Concept are flying the flag for home-grown footwear talent with an innovative strategy which includes selling its extra wide shoes, womens boots and comfy men's and women's shoes direct to its customers via its on-site 100-seater-call centre, five branded stores and selling through 200 independent UK retailers including garden centres.

Hotter Comfort Concept targets the active, mature market with a range of women's shoes, women's boots and women's sandals which are designed to provide casual shoe options through to trend-lead shoe styles - building comfort into every pair. Hotter's men's shoes, men's boots and men's sandals are designed to be rugged and functional to give options for office wear, as well as for travel, hobbies and leisure.