logies, facilities and omnichannel growth, and the continued growth of its store network.   Bobux entered into receivership in April this year before being snapped up by the Munro Footwear Group in May.  According to MFG co-chief executive Marcus Bartlett, Bobux was a strong strategic fit for MFG.  Bartlett told Inside Retail that it would further enable the group to take part in customers’ important life milestones, such as buying their kid’s first pair of shoes. Strong alignment Bartlett noted that Bobux had been going through challenges that were fairly typical of retailers post-Covid-19 restrictions. Once MFG identified that the brand was in receivership, it sought to learn more about the business. “We obviously knew of the brand and – from a product and consumer perspective – we felt that it would fit in well with our business,” he said. “We were well-positioned to take on its stock sitting in various warehouses around the world, and could provide its consumers and partners with confidence that the brand would continue [under our ownership],” he said. Bartlett also explained that MFG has a strong back-to-school offering. However, Bobux – which targets a younger audience – provided a point of difference, and a year-round offering. “The acquisition provides us with an opportunity to grow our market share with a product offering that’s aligned with our core ethos around fit and quality,” he said. “Foot health is a big focus for our product development team, as it is for the Bobux team. And, from a marketing and positioning standpoint, [we could] take its existing foundation, and develop a strategy that fits within our group ecosystem.” He added that MFG had the resources to  grow Bobux beyond what the previous owners were capable of achieving. “The initial focus is on stabilisation. The long-term plan is still being finalised,” he said. “We’re reviewing [its various] channels to ensure that we’re in the right markets, have the right partners and have the foundations in place to grow the brand.” Seamless channel movement In 2017, MFG finalised the acquisition of Fusion Retail Brands, which saw labels such as Williams, Mathers, Diana Ferrari and Colorado join its existing brands. Since then, Bartlett said that MFG has worked to successfully integrate all of its brands under one umbrella, and establish a setting that is primed for future growth. “Post-Covid-19, we’ve been really happy with how the business has been performing,” he said. “We’ve worked to build the right systems, people and strategies and place to really grow our Williams, Mathers and Midas businesses,” he said. A key emphasis for MFG has been the development and growth of its online channels to complement its bricks-and-mortar presence. It also has a number of new initiatives in the works, including the rollout of a new point- of-sale system, which is set to facilitate further growth. “We want to make sure we have a really strong experience across all our channels, and can enable people [to move] between our channels as seamlessly as possible.” International markets Concerning cost-of-living pressures, he affirmed that everyone was feeling the impact of macroeconomic headwinds. This is particularly the case among younger families who are a core segment for MFG. However, he said that the group offers a strong value proposition for this period.  “MFG is based around functional footwear. It’s footwear that customers wear to work, for school and that really supports them in their everyday lives,” he said. He added that the group has an “acquisitive past” and will continue to seek out complementary opportunities with strong growth potential when they arise.  “One of the opportunities that Bobux provides for us is its international distribution network, which provides opportunities for our existing wholesale operations,” he said. “We’ll be looking at opportunities where we can leverage these networks within our broader suite of products,” he said. Organic growth Without revealing specific details, Bartlett said that further expansion was on the horizon for its Williams, Mathers and Midas brands in particular. With internal expectations of about 20 new stores per annum – subject to the right locations and deals – he said that it is working on a new Mathers store concept. This, he added, had the potential to catalyse further growth. “There’s a lot of organic growth in the works that might be augmented by further acquisitions, subject to finding those right opportunities,” Bartlett said.