Shikhar Shoes Company, Sky Shoes Company and Base Footwear Dear Hill Shoes Company are holding the fair for a week till Feb 1. [break]
Visitors are not charged for entrance and the companies have even offered discounts in range of 10 to 50 percent to attract more visitors. The fair has three stalls, one each of the three participating companies. These stalls offer wide range of products, including party wears, casual shoes, sports shoes, school shoes and slippers.
"The event has two objectives. First, it aims to make the customers more familiar with the locally manufactured shoes. Secondly, it eyes to boost the brand image of the participating companies," said Ram Krishna Prasai, managing director of Shikhar Shoes Industry.
The products of Shikhar Shoes and Base Footwear on display at the fair are priced between Rs 200 and Rs 2,000. Their products include sports shoes and party shoes among others. Hom Nath Upadhyay managing director of Base Footwear Dear Hill said his company manufactures around 70,000 pairs of shoes annually.
Likewise, products of Sky Shoes are priced between Rs 200 and Rs 3,500. According to Manoj Shrestha, managing director of Sky Shoes, the company manufactures around 1.6 million pairs of shoes annually.
"Our customers have acknowledged that shoes made in Nepal are equally good as compared to international brands and are durable. Sadly, many customers are still unaware of these facts. Hence, we decided to hold this event," said Shrestha. Referring to the growing popularity and market share of local shoes brands, he said Nepali companies have managed to win such growth only because they have proven themselves in the market by competing with the international brands.
According to Nepal Leather Goods and Footwear Manufacturers Association, around 55 percent of the shoes sold in the market today are manufactured locally. This is an increment of around 10 percent compared to last year.
"If the government comes up with supportive policy, we can easily become self-sufficient in shoes," said Upadhyay, who is also the president of the association.
Local footwear industry over the past half decade has managed to establish a strong brand image. In the process, they have switched from low-priced products to quality products.
"The very fact that recently concluded 8th Leather Goods and Footwear Expo recorded sales almost double from the level seen last year indicates that local manufacturers have ample scope to further expand their markets," Upadhyay shared.
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