Dr Martens trials UK shoe repair service ahead of European roll-out
- The UK launch is a pilot, with a view to expanding the service to Europe
Dr Martens will launch a shoe repair service in Britain next month as the firm looks to polish its sustainability credentials, according to reports.
The iconic London-listed firm hopes the move will encourage customers to extend the life of their boots, while creating a new revenue stream, its boss told the Reuters news agency.
The maker of leather boots, shoes, and sandals is currently testing the service with its employees, ahead of a UK trial.
Dr Martens will launch a shoe repair service in Britain next month as the firm looks to polish its sustainability credentials
The UK launch is a pilot, with a view to expanding the service to continental Europe.
The iconic British bootmaker is working with The Boot Repair Company in Leeds to offer the repairs.
CEO Kenny Wilson told Reuters customers will have to pay £81 to replace worn-out soles on a pair of boots – a procedure that requires taking the whole boot apart, while other repairs would likely be less expensive.
In comparison, a new pair of Dr Martens 1460 boots, excluding sales, can be purchased for £169 on the company’s website.
Even if the repair service displaces some demand as people opt for repairing their boots over buying a new pair, Wilson said it would bring benefits to the brand overall.
He continued: ‘Could it potentially lose us some business short term? Yes, but we think about it long-term, therefore we think it will breed customer loyalty, and it’s the right thing to do.
‘I get letters from people every week saying can I get my DMs repaired.’
Earlier this year, the group reduced its annual profit outlook again after ‘operational issues’ at its Los Angeles-based distribution centre led to higher costs and lower wholesale revenue.
The iconic British bootmaker now predicts underlying earnings for the financial year ending March will be around £245million, compared to a previously downgraded estimate of between £250million and £260million.
In the past year, the firm’s newly-opened warehouse in California was affected by a significant bottleneck when it was flooded with stock being transferred from its Portland base and factories more quickly than expected.
Overall, Wilson said he sees a big opportunity in the second-hand market for Dr Martens, with the potential to grow to a tenth of group revenue.
In May last year, the company launched a resale service with second-hand marketplace Depop.
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