Winter 2009

reader c

ompetition

s

inside..

.

Enter ou

r

exclusive

Celebrating 50years of making

feet happy

Following footstepsto solve crime

Waterproof breathablecomfort explained!

Yours makeover– Ros has the WOW

factor!

club

2

Hotter’s Warehouse Supervisor andbusy mum Kellie Brennan is beamingwith pride with the news that her 16year old son Bradley has been snappedup to play for the Warrington Wolvesrugby team.

Bradley, who will play for the under 18team academy, comes from a rugbymad family but didn’t start playing thegame until his early teens.“It feels brilliant to be signed up withthe Wolves. I only took up the game 3 years ago after being introduced to itat school”.

As an avid St. Helen’s rugby fan, Brad’smum Kellie is used to ferrying her family

around towatch games.Kellie says“Brad hasworked very hard to get where he is andproves that with hard work, dedicationand support anyone’s dream can cometrue. We’re all St. Helen’s fans but nomatter who Brad plays for we will alwayssupport him!”

When she’s not watching rugby it’sKellie’s job to supervise a busy teamwho do a great job picking your shoesoff our warehouse shelves, and sendingthem to your doorstep!

Melanie Killilea. Editor - Hotter Comfort Club

Brad tackles hisway to the top!

50thCe

lebr

ating

50years of making feet happy

Since 1959

birthday

appy birthday to us! Happy birthday to us … 50 years is a greatlandmark for any company, but for one making shoes in the UKwe think it’s a momentous achievement – especially when you

add our 100 seater call centre and www.hotter.com into the equation!Our customers are such an important part of our success story that weare organising some special birthday celebrations – have a look at theenclosed flyer for more information or why not follow us on Twitter(we’ve only just started tweeting so please say hello!)

In this edition we celebrate reaching 50 with a look at Hotter over theyears, our 50th birthday makeover winner is revealed (and doesn’t shelook good) and we introduce our longest serving member of staff.There’s an update on our ‘name a shoe’ competition – we had somany lovely suggestions that we’ve asked our DesignDirector to pick four and we’reasking you to vote for yourfavourite. And we take a closerlook at how footwear helps solvecrimes with the Lancashire police.

I’m off to find someone who canbake me two large shoe shapedcakes for our 50th birthday factorytour – wish me luck – I’ll get you aphoto! All the best, Melanie

HWelcome

Alan gets comfyWhen our Comfort Club readers were asked to tell us

which celebrity they would most like to take a walk with

one name topped the polls – Alan Titchmarsh. And he

must be doing something right because in the same survey legions of lady

fans voted him as the famous man they would most describe to be like a

Hotter shoe: “stylish, comfy, reliable, honest and made in England!”

So what were we supposed to do other than seek out the man himself and

give him a pair of our comfy, reliable shoes to try - which is exactly what we

did. Celebrity gardener, chat show host and all round nice guy Alan

Titchmarsh is now the proud owner of a pair of rugged Rocky in Taupe. And

his verdict – obviously a Yorkshireman of very little words but with very

discerning taste, he told us: “Comfortable? Of course they are!”

All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com

Warrington Wolves

Bradley plays for

under 18’s academy

Waterproof,

- a unique partnershipbreathable comfort

The Hotter GORE-TEX® footwear range is the perfectaddition for a leisurely walk this autumn and we’d liketo hear about your favourite walks around Britain.

We’ll choose our favourite to win a pair of light walking shoes andwe’ll aim to print a few of the best to share with our Hotter fans. Send your stories (and photos) to the address on the back page.

win

3

at a glance

et autumn leaves,howling winds, snowand ice – don’t let the

elements keep you inside thisseason, have a look atHotter’s range of light walkingboots and shoes for severalgood reasons to get out andabout despite the weather!

The GORE-TEX® Product Technologyin this range offers 100%guaranteed waterproof protectionand a high level of breathablecomfort all underpinned by the‘Guaranteed to keep you dry™’promise which is unique to thefootwear industry. The porousstructure of the GORE-TEX®

membrane within the lining insidethe shoe, holds the secret to itssuccess. Each pore in themembrane is about 20,000 timessmaller than a drop of water, whichstops any water getting in. Thepores are also 700 times biggerthan a water vapour molecule,which means that sweat andmoisture can easily escape,keeping your feet dry and at acomfortable temperature.

“All GORE-TEX® Footwearundergoes a stringent quality andtesting programme that enablesGore to offer its unique promise,”explains Willie Fletcher of W L Gore& Associates, the company behindthe innovative GORE-TEX® ProductTechnology. “All the Hotter GORE-TEX® shoes - from the lacesto the outer material, even the tinythreads - are tested to make sure

they achieve our high qualityperformance.”

The Walking Simulator is just onetest where shoe samples areplaced on flexible artificial feetwhich take up to 200,000 steps ina water bath – that’s about thesame as a 500 km hike across awet meadow or through a stream.When moisture enters the shoe, themachine stops and an LEDindicates where the leak is. So youcan rest assured that whateverHotter GORE-TEX® shoe you selectit will take you up hill, down dale,and beyond in waterproof,breathable comfort!

All GORE-TEX®

Footwear undergoes astringent quality andtesting programme

“

”

Hotter’s GORE-TEX® PerformanceComfort footwear …

… offers the perfect combination of breathability and waterproof protection

… means your feet stay dry and comfortable in changing weather conditions

… is suitable for wear in everyday conditions

Terra - £79 - Deep Teal

Men’s Venture - £79 - Brown Waxed Nubuck

Loganberry Leather/SuedeMist £69

w

Ros says:“I entered the competition becauseas I’ve got older I’ve really, reallystruggled with my sense of style. I recently realised that I’ve beenwearing the same glasses, thesame hairstyle, the same clothesand even the same earrings forabout seven years.

“I was in serious need of an update– but I never for one minutethought I’d win the Hottercompetition. When Yours got intouch I was so surprised. I worryabout which clothes to buy all thetime because I want to look grown

up and glamorous – not muttondressed as lamb – so I wasintrigued to see what the expertswould put me in.”

Ros’ outfitThe topRos struggles to find the right topbecause there are so manydifferent lengths on the high streetat the moment. As a general rule –if you’re wearing a skirt, look for atop that sits on your hip, so itcovers the waistband of the skirtwithout affecting how it hangs.Longer tops look good with slim legor straight cut trousers, but avoidthem if you have wide hips or a bigbottom, because the fabric will justcling to your biggest area.

The skirtThis simple straight cut pencil skirtslims Ros’ hips and by doing sohelps to balance out her narrowertop half. Look for a hemline that sitson or just below your knee to showoff the slimmest part of your leg.Tights are big news thisAutumn/Winter and anything goesfrom sheer shades such as Ros’ tothick opaques and even patternedstyles. They’re a great way to hideyour legs if you feel self-conscious

about wearing a shorter skirt.

The shoesRos rarely wears heels so shewas amazed at howcomfortable these court shoesare. Choosing a higher heel isa great way to slim your legsand add a few inches to yourheight. And you certainly don’thave to be in pain to wearthem – just ensure you get agood fit. A pair of knee-highboots would also look greatwith this outfit.

4 All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com

Blouse £39, sizes 8-18Jasper Conran at Debenhams

Black glitter cardigan £22 sizes10-22 David Emanuel atBonmarche

Pencil skirt £28 sizes 12-32Marisota

Red bracelet £12 Mood by JonRichard at Debenhams

Court shoes - Enchant £59sizes 3-9 also available in Extra wide fit from Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes

get the lookOur winner: Rosamund Wong, 59, Bedford

styleI found my

As part of our 50th birthday celebrations we teamed up withYours magazine to offer one lucky Comfort Club reader a top to toe makeover – and here are the results.

“

”

Buy your subscription in time for Christmas, Lo-Call 0845 601 1356 and quote ref: KTHT or visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk/hotter Offer closes 31st January 2010

The ideal Christmas gift

Yours Makeover

The verdict:

“I would never have looked at this blouse – but for a specialoccasion it would be great. Theskirt is the ideal length – not too short and shoes are socomfortable too – today has been a brilliant confidence boost.”

Find out more about Ros’ makeover in the latest issue of Yours magazine, available on the news stand on 17th November 2009. A Yours magazine subscription makesa perfect Christmas gift. Why not treat a friend or yourself? Yours for only £1 a copysaving you 40p on every magazine plus free delivery. All orders received before 9th December 2009 are guaranteed to be set up as a Christmas gift.

5

Yours for ONLY £1 a copy

plus FREE deliveryORDER NOW!

Perfect match...Enchant perfectly co-ordinates with new Elgarclutch bag in Brown Croc

Brown Croc Leather

Enchant £59

CreditsStylist - Alex Reid Hair and make-up - Olivia FerrerPhotography - Ruth Jenkinson

All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com6

n November 6th there could be a glow inthe sky over Lancashire – it won’t be theaftermath of bonfire night, it’ll be the 50

candles on the very large cake we’ll need tocelebrate 50 years of making feet happy!

In five decades Hotter Comfort Concept has grown frombeing the producer of moulded slippers to one of thebiggest shoe manufacturers in the UK making some ofthe most technically advanced shoes in the world. We’reproud of every pair and delighted that you haveaccompanied us on our journey so far.

Hotter Comfort Concept is the name of our brand ofcomfy stylish shoes and they are made by our companyBeaconsfield Footwear – which was set up in 1959 by

the parents of the current managing director StewartHoulgrave. At the time there were a number of shoecompanies based in Skelmersdale, so ThomasHoulgrave had a pool of skilled local workers to draw on when he set up his slipper making business. Theslippers were sold to independent retailers and majormultiple stores and whilst successful for a number ofyears, foreign imports into the country in the 80s drovethe company to seek new markets and marketingstrategies.

Stewart, 50, had been immersed in the footwearbusiness from an early age, working in every departmentfrom design to manufacture to sales. Having travelledthe world seeking out the highest quality components,Stewart had an in-depth knowledge of the footwearmarket and had discovered a new way

50th

Cele

brat

ing50

years of making feet happy

Since 1959

birthday

1959 – 2009 Celebrating 50 years of making feet happy!

O

The original factory in 1959

We officially open ournew site 2003

Our new factory startsto take shape 2003

7

Tell us a Hotter story … We are asked many times where the name Hotter originates – but we don’t have a clever answer – Hotter was justone of a list of names conjured up by Stewart and his design team. We wondered if you could help us create a storybehind the name – why do you think we named our brand Hotter? We’ll publish the best story and the winner willreceive some lovely Hotter goodies – just send your entries to the address on the back page.

Celebrating the Queens Jubilee 1977

Staff celebrating Hotters40th birthday 1999

We say goodbye to ourLiverpool Road site 2003

Our 5th store in Yorkopened its doors 2008

The ‘Calendar Girls’ maketheir first visit 2002

Stewart with our mouldingmachines 1998

of making footwear – directmoulding. This technique createdshoes with polyurethane soles –which are lightweight, flexible andfull of cushioning air bubbles.With this comfort formula hiddenin his shoe soles he set aboutdesigning features in the upperswhich would enhance this conceptof comfort – smooth seams,padding at tongue and heels,space for toes to wiggle.

Rather than make shoes for otherpeople to sell, Stewart decided totake his comfort and styleblueprint and create a brand –and so Hotter Comfort Conceptwas born . The initial collectionactually included shoes such asDew and Stream which are stillpart of the current range, albeit inan updated format. The shoeswere sold into independentretailers nationwide until Stewarthad his second ‘eureka’ moment– deciding to sell direct tocustomers. His dream wasrealised in 1997 when hecommissioned an advert for theSunday papers to promote abrochure of the best comfy Hottershoes. Initially it was all hands tothe deck at Beaconsfield Footwearto answer customer calls and postout brochures, but as morecustomers were attracted to ourshoe brand, and told their friends,

the mail order service grew – infact now we have a 100 seater callcentre which is open seven days aweek and all but three days in theyear.

We took our shoes to the highstreet, quite literally, in 2002when we opened our first store inSouthport, and another hugemilestone was a £6 millioninvestment in our new factory in2003 – the biggest shoe makingcompany opened in the UK sincethe 70s. Since then Hotter hasopened five more high streetstores (with two in the pipeline),invested an additional £500,000to create the world’s mosttechnologically advanced shoemaking production lines,launched www.hotter.com andstarted advertising on TV!

There’s always something new atHotter – whether it’s ourfashionable heels, comfyballerinas, or sporty lace-ups andwe’re always keen to listen to your ideas and suggestions –which is why we open our doorsonce a month for a factory tour.We’ve got plans to celebrate our50th in style, so keep an eye onour catalogue and on our websiteto keep up to date. Many HappyReturns to us – and many happyfeet to you!

8

You can tell a lot about a personfrom the shoes they wear …particularly if you’re looking for acriminal apparently!

Following the footsteps ofcriminals to secure an arrest mayseem a little ‘Miss Marple’ in thesedays of CSI and DNA, but there areteams of police forensic expertsacross the country devoted tofootwear analysis. Indeed eachyear thousands of shoe marks areexamined, catalogued and used tohelp solve more than 4,000 crimesper year in the UK.

“Every shoe has an identifying solepattern which, when combinedwith the individual scuffs anddamage caused by the wearer,makes their footprints quiteunique. Of course we have to becareful because as shoes are wornmore damage will occur, but somedamage will be very specific,” said

Danyela Kellett, Senior FootwearAnalyst at LancashireConstabulary. Her team has beeninstrumental in devising theNational Footwear ReferenceCollection which, by 2010, will beused by 43 police forces inEngland and Wales, together withthe Scottish Police Service and thePolice Service of Northern Ireland.

“Several forces have been loggingfootwear impressions for a numberof years, but the new register is thefirst time that all the data has beenstandardised, so now specificfootwear brands and styles havethe same reference nationwide,”explained Danyela, whose team,which was one of the first in theUK, was set up in 1996. “Carefulanalysis of the database has alsorevealed interesting regionalfootwear trends – with offenders inparticular areas all wearing thesame footwear brand and even

product style, almost like auniform.”

Shoe marks are often used as anintelligence tool to link crimestogether. “We may have the samemark at ten scenes, and althoughthis wouldn’t tell us who theoffender was, if a fingerprint orDNA has been left behind at one ofthe scenes then we can link all thecrimes together, helping to solvemore crimes more quickly,” added Danyela.

When a suspect comes in forinterview, for certain recordablecrimes such as burglary, robbery orcriminal damage, the police canask to examine the suspect’sshoes. “A print is taken of the soleof the shoe using a special kit

TREADING

CAREFULLY

in the fight

against crim

e

All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com

Senior Footwear Analyst

Danyela Kellett

Taking a cast

9

helped detectives

In January 2009 two masked men entered thehome of an elderly couple, assaulted andthreatened the male occupant and attempted toopen a safe using a sledgehammer. Theoffenders made off when the victim tried tocall the police.

A male suspect was arrested 20 minutes laterand marks were made from his footwear whichwere compared to two types found at thescene.The footwear team found that pattern,size and wear of his shoes corresponded tothose at the scene including a number ofrandom damage features and unique‘feathering’. This was conclusive evidencethe marks were made by the footwear of thesuspect who was remanded in custody and laterpleaded guilty in crown court.

designed for this purpose” shesaid. “This print is tagged withshoe size, brand and style and ischecked against our records ofincidents with similar patterns.

“At crime scenes we can makecasts of marks if possible, and wealways work with the knowledgethat people can’t fly – so there willalmost always be footwear marks ata crime scene, although theycannot always be seen by thenaked eye. Using specialist

photography and lighting we canenhance the prints, generating areally detailed impression.”

Last year alone the Lancashire forcetook shoe marks from 3,000scenes, with up to ten marks perscene, and 250 crimes were solved with the assistance of forensicfootwear investigation. There are around 300 shoe brands in thefootwear files, 80% of which are

from the same fashion brands –indeed some of these brands havenearly a thousand style variations.As you would imagine, trainersfigure highly in the larger files - it’snot often a burglar wears stilettosfor a getaway – however,interestingly amongst thethousands there is a very, verysmall file of some four pairs ofHotter shoes!

Real life case “There is no branchof Detective Science

which is so important

and so much neglected as the art of tracingfootsteps ” – Sherlock Holmes

“A Study in Scarlet” 1887

Unique damage

Hotter helps police withtheir enquiries …Hotter footwear designers haveinvited Lancashire’s forensicfootwear experts to the factory tohelp identify some unknownfootwear imprints. “We have anumber of shoe marks where we’vebeen unable to identify the shoebrand, so we’ve asked the footwearexperts at Hotter to help us withidentification,” said Danyela.

All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com

hat better way to get theessential flavour ofsome of the world’s

most interesting destinationsthan by trying their wines …

First to the Argentinian Andes andthe high vineyards of the well-regarded Mendoza. SamplingMalbec, Argentina’s “signature”wine, I fell particularly for theGestos 2008, made by FincaFlichman, a skillful blend from twovineyards which offer a greatbouquet of violets; with cherries,blueberries and purple-skinnedplums on the palate. This wine isfrom Majestic (£6.99; £5.49 for 2+)and is included in the six winesthey are kindly offering as a prizefor the lucky reader who wins ourcompetition.

Next to New Zealand - renownedfor its crisp Sauvignon Blancs. Ichose the 2008 Wither Hills (£8.99;£5.99 for 2+) as the first of ourwhites. Take it out of the fridge,open, leave for 10 minutes beforeyou pour and sniff the scent ofgooseberries. In the mouth, they’lljoin grapefruit notes in zestystimulation.

Back now to Europe, and to Italianproducers De Forville with the 2008Dolcetto d’Alba. (£8.69; £6.95 for2+). Watch for assertive tannins onthe finish, tame them by “doubledecanting” – simply pour into a jug,then back in the bottle and leavetime to breathe in the glass. Thenose gives definite raspberries; onthe palate, riper berry fruits, spice,a hint of liquorice. Serve with meaty

pastas, good British beef or aharder cheese

A great contrast is “Dr L” Riesling2008 (£6.99), from famed Germanproducer the Loosen Brothers. Afantastic Gold Medal winning white,low alcohol (8.5% by Vol.), light,refreshing, hinting at stone fruits,peaches and apricots, with a tingleon the tongue. Enjoy before, andwith, a lunch of salmon or trout.

Lastly, to France. First the red, aCôtes-du-Rhône Saint-Esprit 2007from Delas-Frères (£8.99, £6.99 for2+). This is exceptional quality for asouthern Rhone, the blenddisplaying dark fruits and spice onthe palate, from its Syrah (Shiraz),with 25% Grenache, givingsomething of New World fullness.

To end, Champagne, Brut, (dry)from the house of Canard-Duchêne.The impressive bottle with theRussian Imperial Eagle (“by

appointment” to the last Tsar,Nicholas II) offers a quality, elegantbalance, smoothness, intriguingthe palate with hints of fruit andeven brioche. A stream of finebubbles enhances these flavours.An N.V. (Non Vintage) bottle, about25% comes from reserve wines ofprevious years to make thissplendid blend. (£26.65, £15.99 for 2+).

* Prices quoted are the single bottleprice and the price per bottle for twoor more. You can now buy Majesticwines by the 6 bottle case in store or12 per case for delivery (which is free).

10

To win 6 bottles send your answeralone with your name, address andtelephone number to the address onthe back page.Question:What is the capital ofArgentina?

GrapeBy Graham Gendall Norton

W

escape

win

All shoes featured are available at www.hotter.com

lucky pair of shoes maybe the secret to thesuccess of former

England International GolfCroquet champion SamanthaThompson.

As the number one woman in theUK and Ireland Golf Croquetrankings, Sam’s been playing thesport competitively for 14 years,and makes sure she’s wearing herlucky pair of white shoes whenshe’s playing in the competitions.

“The rules of golf croquet dictatethat we wear white clothes andwhite shoes with flat soles to playthe game” says Sam. “My favouritepair of shoes has seen me throughsome tough competitions over theyears.”

Sam is the resident coach at theRipon Spa Hotel Croquet Club,along with Keith Smith whofounded the club in 1993. Sincethen the club has hosted no lessthan 14 International Open GolfCroquet Championships and 8Women’s Open Championships.

“Our competitors travel far andwide to play in competitions here atRipon. The latest winner, of the 14th

International Open, was from Egyptand the year before a South Africanwon it,” said Keith. “Golf croquet isan alternative form of croquet, andcan be picked up and played bybeginners very quickly, but there isa great deal of skill and tacticsinvolved.”

Golf croquet is one of the mostpopular forms of the croquet game,but don’t be tempted to trade inyour favourite mallet for a 9-ironand a driver as the name suggests.Golf croquet features the samecroquet balls and mallets as othercroquet games, but the teams orplayers compete to earn points by

being the first and only ball to cleareach hoop.

“Croquet is a fantastic way toexercise and is great fun andvery sociable at the same time”says Sam. “We have plans tospend £6,000 this year to addan extra court to the three and ahalf we already have, which willenable us to attract the 2011European championships toRipon.”

Let’s hope that Sam’s favourite pairof shoes are still bringing her luckin 2011!

11

Jumping throughSamantha Thompson

Ahoops!

Hotter Comfort Concept Shoes, 2 Peel Road, West Pimbo, Skelmersdale, Lancashire. WN8 9PT Customer Service: 0800 525 893 Personal Shoppers: 0800 083 3083 Melanie Killilea: 01695 712 720 Email: m.killilea@hotter.com Web: www.hotter.com

Closing date for competitions is 1oth December 2009To find out who won our Autumn competitions please contact Melanie Killilea.

Brian Johnson isthe longest servingHotter employee –having joined thecompany thesame year thatEngland won theworld cup! He currently works as a

serviceman in the factory in the team

which makes sure that each machine has

a constant supply of raw materials – so

we can meet our 30,000 pairs a week

target! He’s seen lots of changes at

Hotter over the years and his most

memorable moment is meeting his wife

June who works on our finishing line.

I was born in… Skelmerdale

My favourite comfort food is… roast dinner

I first joined Hotter in… 1966

My all time favourite song is… The Power of Love by Jennifer Rush

The best day of my life was… getting married to June

You wouldn’t know it but I’m good at… doing my job!

If I have time to myself I like to… weed the garden

My favourite holiday destination is… New York

The invention that makes my life most comfortable is... electricity

because I love watching TV

My most memorable moment at Hotter is... meeting my wife here

The best Hotter shoe we’ve ever made is… Shore because I wear them

Brian

footnotes

One of the names that didn’t makeour Design Director’s top four wasEliza Anne – a name suggested byLeila Richardson of Sheffield whosent this atmospheric photo of hergrandmother the inspiration behindthe name: “She was wise, loving,welcoming and a superb cook!”

When we ran our competition to name a Hotter shoe we wereinundated with entries – favourite family members, friends, pets andcustomers themselves were all put forward as suggestions.

Our Design Director was really spoiled for choice so he’s picked four ofhis favourites and we’re asking you to go online to vote for which youthink is best. All four suggestions win their entrants a pair of Autumnshoes and the one you vote to win will also receive her newly namedpair when they are made.

Log onto www.hotter.com to find out the story behind Pandora, Moira,Smiles and Symphony and have your chance to vote for a winner. Anddon’t forget to sign up to our newsletter while you’re there for news,offers and our monthly Comfort Club magazine.

Webexclusive

www.hotter.com

a good name! Give a shoe