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Dr Martens to launch a pilot shoe repair service in the UK

Sep 29, 2023 United Kingdom

The iconic British footwear brand has plans to launch a shoe repair service in the UK next month, with a view to later expanding the service to continental Europe

The announcement was made by the CEO of Dr Martens, Kenny Wilson, in an interview, as reported by Reuters. The aim of the brand is to encourage customers to extend the lifespan of their shoes, improving in this way its sustainability credentials. Currently, Dr Martens is testing the service with its employees, but it should be available to UK customers in October, with a view of later expanding to continental Europe.

To this end, the leather shoemaker is working with The Boot Repair Company in the northern English city of Leeds. For example, to replace the worn soles of a pair of boots - a procedure that requires taking the whole boot apart - customers would pay 81 pounds (100.50 US dollars), while other repairs would probably be less expensive, said Kenny Wilson. Normally, a new pair of Dr Martens 1460 boots has a cost of about 169 pounds (209.68 US dollars).

“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”, added Wilson. According to Reuters, the CEO of Dr Martens also stressed that he sees a potential to increase the company's revenue through the second-hand market. The company already launched a resale service in May last year with the Depop second-hand marketplace.

Image Credits: yahoo.com

United Kingdom Dr. Martens Footwear Leather Repair Second-hand Shoes Sustainability