One thing that as a sales controller I can do is feed back to you what is hot and what is not. Or certainly, what counts as a winner in our Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire distribution. I am always flattered when someone says that they are following my blog; the least I can then do in return is tell you how things are going.

Without any stretch of my grey stuff the brand that stands out is FitFlop. In ladies wear nothing even comes close at the moment. The shearling half boot called Mukluk has flown. Fresh deliveries of longer leg versions are moving fast. The new Superboot looks promising. Sell through on Mukluk over the last four weeks was 89%, I will take that. The reason why is far simpler than the much reported health benefits. Put simply the boots and the sandals will no doubt tone you as you walk but they are also reported to be extremely comfortable. Comfort is king and the FitFlop does it.

Now remember wearing MBT samples and the burning sensation in the sole of your foot like it was on fire. FitFlop wearers report no such effects it is actually totally the opposite. The most common statement been "these are the most comfortable boots I have ever had". Match that to both viral and real marketing and you have a winner. Now if they were uncomfortable you might be in a very different place. Certainly FitFlop as a brand has spent money promoting and protecting their brand identity. I just wish some other brands would follow them so that retailers would end up making a living.

Gabor as is often the case remains strong. Customer loyalty, genuine quality and good fit make the package here. However, the surprise package of the season has come from a boot range. I refer to Josef Seibel boots this time. Basically they have a clear winner in one style called Palmira. If we had stock remaining it would be number one knocking off Mukluk. However, Seibel have not delivered our third full repeat so volumes are currently zero. The style has however sold out twice.

As a test to see if anyone at Seibel is reading this I shall post a little side note here: all promotional material for Palmira features a pre production sample. This sports one too many eyelets than the production model. I wonder how many online sales have come back because the boot is different to image? Thing is most etail guys use Seibels provided image not their own. An example of how being lazy can cost you - all for the price of a photo tent.

Back to the boot, it has a nod to shearling trim but is in effect a hybrid. It fits of course but presents mixed styling that has hit the mark. We took early delivery before any sort of promotion or PR so without a doubt the boot sells on its own merits. The mark of a true winner no doubt.

In men's sales I would have said that Anatomic was tailing off. However, over the last two weeks the brand has firmly shot back to number one. The current best-selling style is the boot Natal. Bit of a poor mans R M Williams this one but I will not question the fit and comfort of the style. If stock was free to buy the oiled finish would be king. Supply lag leaves us sold out so the buyer falls upon the cognac leather finish instead. I for my part search out and believe I have found an alternative source of very similar boots to cover us when Anatomic run short of supply.

For more traditional customers Barkers remain strong. More than anything the Barker shoe fits. As you know a Barker G is really what most guys are looking for in a formal shoe. It might be nice to sell lots of sleek long toe F fit product but the fit will all ways sell more to your 40 plus market. The lads can be crippled.