The company was founded fifty years ago in Santa Maria da Feira, one of the most important regions for the Portuguese footwear industry. Its founder, Joaquim José Heitor, successfully led the company through the years and nowadays the management is mainly assured by the third generation of the Heitor’s family.

The company bases their strategy on a sustained growth model, focusing in a scrupulous selection of raw materials, and always looking to obtain finished products of high quality and striving to meet the customers’ demands. The focus is in the feminine elegance and the typical client is a “sophisticated and elegant woman with taste of style and purchasing power”.

One of the priorities of the company, exporting mainly to European markets, is to ensure a strong and solid presence in the international markets, with the brand now aiming to introduce their products in Russia, US and Asia (China and South Korea). With a turnover exceeding 5 million euros and a team of roughly 75 employees producing 500 pairs of shoes per day, the company established a recent partnership with designer Nuno Baltazar.

A fundamental milestone in the company history is the recent challenge surrounding the launch of an own brand, JJ Heitor Shoes, in 2013, with the Spring Summer Collection. The aim of the company is now to achieve 30% of orders for their own brand in the next few years.

For more information about JJ Heitor please refer to the company’s website.

Video credits: Portuguese Shoes TV