The Foot Factory is an online retailer specialising in footwear, stocking major brands such as Crocs, Skechers, and Vans. Led by experienced directors with over 20 years of combined retail management experience, the business has been operating for over a decade. In addition to its own website, The Foot Factory also sells as a third-party retailer on platforms like Amazon.
The Foot Factory is Lisburn's Largest Independent Footwear Retailer.
At The Foot Factory, we believe shoes are more than just essentials—they reflect personal style, comfort, and confidence. Our vision is to be the go-to destination for shoe lovers, offering a diverse selection, exceptional quality, and a seamless shopping experience. With the global footwear market projected to exceed $400 billion by 2025 and online sales growing rapidly, we are perfectly positioned to capitalise on this shift with our customer-focused approach.
Since launching in 2012, we have leveraged our directors' retail expertise to establish a strong presence, initially trading as a third-party seller on Amazon before expanding to our own website. This shift has given us greater control over the customer experience, which remains at the heart of our business. We focus on affordable, trusted brands, building strong relationships with both suppliers and customers to drive growth and expansion.
With a strong user experience and a commitment to innovation, The Foot Factory is well-positioned to thrive in the evolving digital marketplace.
Credit Commentary:
The Foot Factory, located in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, operates as a prominent footwear retailer. Their business model integrates both physical and online retail strategies. They are authorized retailers of leading brands such as UGG, Doc Marten, New Balance, Vans, and Skechers to name a few. The business is owned by two individuals: Gareth Davis and Garth Wylie. The company holds an Equifax score of D and our internal credit grading score ranks it as a Medium risk-based credit investment. They are a returning client at C2F and have exhibited a good repayment history. Both the shareholders are providing a personal guarantee, which means should the business fail to repay the loan, we can turn to guarantor(s) to cover any shortfall. Moreover, we are also aiming for a Debenture in this credit investment, which shall be contingent on the total amount raised. Both directors exhibit good credit profiles. The business has been trading for over 14 years now, and accounts depict a fair financial profile, albeit the gearing would stand higher. The company registered an increase in turnover of 29% to stand at £1.3m (FY 2023: £1m), which resulted in a higher Operating Profit of £230K (FY2023: £206K). The company has undertaken multiple borrowings, which led to an increase in interest charge of £140K (FY 2023: 110K), leading to Profit Before Tax of £92K (FY 2023: 95K). The company regularly draws on the dividends as well. And has Tangible Net Worth recorded at £203K (FY 2023: £162K) for FY 2024. The EBITDA of the company is sufficient to cover the proposed loan facility with the business deemed as a Medium Risk in terms of credit score. The loan proceeds will be utilised to convert short-term lending and turn it into a longer-duration obligation. The remaining major chunk of the amount will be directed to open a new retail unit within the same city, Lisburn which is estimated to increase turnover plus also seek acquisition of other prominent shoe brands as well.
Inflation Risk:
As per the company management, the company is not much impacted by inflation. The general rise in the cost of sales is usually priced away in their end product to cover for any impact of inflation.
Loan
