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There was a company called K-shoes, remember them? Formed in Kendal about 150 years ago, they had factories all over the North and shops on every high street. They were taken over by Clarks Shoes, who recently decided to close virtually all manufacturing in this country. Factories were shut all over the UK and thousands of skilled jobs went to China, India and the Far East.
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– originally from Cumbria – bought one of the redundant K Shoes factories 6 years ago to relocate their expanding business specialising in soft foam products. They employed a substantial number of K Shoes staff, and their business flourished at Askam-in-Furness, at the mouth of the beautiful Duddon Valley. As experts in flexible foams they developed a new lightweight breathable foam footbed, which was used by Clarks and other shoemaking companies in hundreds of thousands of pairs of high end quality shoes and sandals.
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- a former technical expert and factory manager with K Shoes approached Mike with the idea of making a new type of ultra comfortable soft springy shoe. He convinced Mike that as other manufacturers had pursued cost reduction and sacrificed quality, customers were being short changed.
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| We have gathered together a group of Cumbrian shoemakers - some of the last men and women in the country with these talents, and formed a team committed to making the very best shoes that it's possible to make - using traditional skills, as well as lots of the latest and best technology. |
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The Softwalker group at this time employs between 50 & 70 staff, and four members of the Stables family now work in the business. Alongside Mike (the Boss), and Lynne (Company Secretary & Accountant), we have Catherine (Sales & Marketing) and James (Computer Services). Harold oversees our design and technical development and between us and our skilled shoemaking team we are making cracking products - and customers seem to be voting with their feet!
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- the view as you approach our factory is one of the best in the Lakes. If you get a chance please visit our shoe centre in Askam. If you can't get there try mail order - as a family business we'll look after you and won't let you down. |
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