The Boot Repair Company - Freshness from the King's Guard to the Armed Forces
31st May 2023
Here at Micro Fresh, we are proud to partner with all of our customers. In industries ranging from clothing to construction, hospitality to hospitals, we are making a difference to people’s safety everywhere you see the Micro Fresh label.
We got in touch with our client, The Boot Repair Company, to explain how they are seeing a benefit from using our product on their footwear. The Boot Repair company is a family business, with family values. They are responsible for prolonging the life of boots worn by the Army, Navy and Household Cavalry to name a few. They use expertise and experience to sympathetically repair up to 5000 boots a year by hand.
Micro Fresh technology protects against bacteria and odours in footwear, meaning products last for longer, even in testing conditions and heavy use. Where better to test that than with our armed forces’ well-worn boots?
We asked The Boot Repair Companies’ MD, Jamie Whitehouse, about how the relationship with Micro Fresh came about and the advantages he sees for the customers the business serves.
How did the relationship with Micro-Fresh® come about?
We were introduced to Micro-Fresh® and Byron through Patrick, a member of the Boot Repair family, who met Byron at a Supply Diversity conference. At the time, we were discussing Micro Fresh in hospitals, travel and hospitality – and Patrick mentioned that his family own a shoe repair business and could connect us.
We learned of Byron Dixon OBE's expertise in chemistry and leather finishing years prior to the founding Micro-Fresh. With a strong background in the field, Byron has been able to establish himself as one of the leading scientific entrepreneurs in the UK and so we were thrilled to partner with Micro Fresh to utilise the game-changing technology.
Why did you partner with Micro-Fresh® and what why were you so excited about the technology?
The passion we see from Micro-Fresh® is very contagious, we completely bought into the product and the potential it had as well as the man himself! The benefits Micro-Fresh® bring in regard to prolonging the lifespan of the boots we repair is very exciting. The Micro-Fresh(R) brand in conjunction with Boot Repair gave us an ideal test platform and where better to test that than in soldiers' smelly boots? The guys made the process of receiving and testing the technology so simple, it’s great to deal with them and continues to be a pleasure to provide our customers with the best protection to this day.
How are you utilising Micro-Fresh® in your products?
The technology is used as a key part of our refurbishment process. We have a service within the business that rebuilds worn footwear, and we are massive believers in doing the right thing in terms of wellbeing for the planet, which Micro-Fresh® also hold very dear to their heart. In that way it is a perfectly aligned relationship between two businesses looking to do the right thing and make the world a more sustainable place. Our service which renovates Vivo Barefoot footwear and Dr Martens boots utilises Micro-Fresh® to ensure freshness for the next user – extending the life and reducing landfill.
What benefits in sales/value added have you seen since using Micro-Fresh®?
As well as providing ultra eco-friendly benefits to communicate to our customers, we get a lot of comments enquiring who Micro-Fresh® is and what the product does. They are very responsive to what the partnership is achieving – especially with the brand missions being so aligned. We love getting to chat about how, as a brand, we are looking to add value and are partnering with some of the most innovative young start-up companies in the country.
It's the extra level of care we find really advantageous through offering Micro-Fresh®. When we speak to clients, we can demonstrate the level of protection with the Micro-Fresh® detector pen which ensure they have peace of mind that their investment can be proven and demonstrated to an end user. To case study to our client was the success we have had with work in the armed forces is worth its weight in gold, it provides assurance to our end consumer.
Where do you see the relationship with Micro-Fresh® heading in the future?
The partnership for The Boot Repair Company has been very successful. We can see the obvious benefits in having Micro-Fresh® as a strategic partner moving forward, especially as legislation comes in that requires brands to think more innovatively and sustainably about how their businesses operate. The Micro-Fresh brand is known throughout the global footwear industry and leads to easier conversations with footwear brands. We are planning great additions to our range of services and extending the amount of footwear we are able to repair. We fully believe that Micro-Fresh® will play a vital role in this and we look forwards to providing customers the best in anti-bacterial and anti-odour footwear, long into the future.
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