After acquiring Hotter Shoes last year, WoolOvers has outlined a plan to revitalise the footwear brand’s British manufacturing operations. Following a period of uncertainty during which the Lancashire factory faced a possible closure, WoolOvers has now committed to ramping up Hotter Shoes’ domestic production, with the aim of producing one million pairs of shoes a year in the United Kingdom (UK).

The move is part of WoolOvers’ strategy to improve customer satisfaction by focusing on local manufacturing and is in line with the preference of Hotter Shoes’ core customer base — typically older buyers — for British-made, comfortable footwear. This shift will see Hotter Shoes manufacturing 75% of its products domestically, a significant increase from the previous 25%.

WoolOvers Chief Executive Officer Mike Lester reasoned about the production change: “We quickly realised that what the customer bought into was the UK-manufactured, the comfort fit, and the products they knew and loved, rather than the exports from India that were a bit more fashion-forward but did not come in the range of fits and widths that were going to work with an older person’s feet”.

Hotter Shoes’ operations span 30 physical stores across the UK, as well as online and catalogue sales. The brand’s financial performance has shown improvement since the acquisition, with sales climbing from 45 million British pounds (53.74 million euros) to 50 million British pounds (59.71 million euros) in the first year.

WoolOvers’ efforts to revive the brand are part of a broader initiative that includes expanding its physical retail and launching new stores in key locations like Cirencester, Gloucestershire. The strategic shift to domestic manufacturing is accompanied by an investment in job creation at the Lancashire factory, where 15 new positions have been added to the existing 120 collaborators.

In addition to Hotter Shoes, WoolOvers has expanded into sectors that appeal to an older demographic, such as Scotts of Stow for homewares and Thought clothing. According to Lester, this expansion aligns with WoolOvers’ vision to meet the lifestyle needs of older customers by offering them trusted, quality-focused brands that support the UK economy.