Best foot forward in pursuit of the best school shoe

ADAD of three is taking on the leading brands in children’s footwear after setting up a new boys’ school shoe range to solve his son’s constant battle with breaking school shoes.

Simon Locke, 48, a marketing director with UK-wide shoe and multi-retailer, BVG Group, based in Brecon was so fed up of having to continually replace his son’s school shoes that he decided to tackle the problem head-on by creating his very own indestructible shoe brand, using his experience in the industry.

Frustrated at wasting hundreds of pounds every year on shoes that were simply not lasting, Mr Locke jumped in feet-first and founded Treads, with the aim of shaking up the school shoe market and providing parents and children with a better product.

After his wife tragically died 10 years ago, Mr Locke suddenly became a lone parent to three young children – a son and two daughters aged seven, four and one – and found himself taking on responsibilities he had not previously given much thought to, including buying school shoes for his children.

Like many parents, Mr Locke opted for shoes from well-known, trusted high-street brands, believing that these would be more durable and hard-wearing. But despite their higher price tag, he found that his son’s shoes would regularly return home in various states of disrepair.

Mr Locke said: “When it came to choosing school shoes, I instinctively chose the leading high-street brands that have established themselves as the go-to names in the sector, believing that these would be highquality and long-lasting.

“But despite forking out more than £50 at a time, I found myself having to replace these shoes on a regular basis, sometimes in just a matter of weeks, due to issues with broken straps, worn soles, scuffed leather and stitching coming apart.

“The cost did not reflect durability and repurchasing shoes became an all-too-familiar, increasingly frustrating and expensive cycle.”

With more than 15 years of experience in the shoe industry, Mr Locke set about solving the problem himself by developing his own indestructible, quality school shoe, drawing inspiration from the hard-wearing safety footwear found in the construction industry.

Mr Locke explained: “I noticed that there was a real gap in the market for high-quality, durable shoes that are built to last and take on the everyday activities of schoolkids.

“Children don’t just sit at their desks during school time – they play football, climb trees, scuff their feet on pavements and kick the shoes off as soon as they get home, all of which takes its toll.

“The problem is that the current offerings aren’t cut out for this level of wear and my experience with my son illustrated this.

“You only need to look at other sectors to see that this kind of durability is possible.