Starting a Shoes Business in Kenya

There is a sector that is open to the creative minds. A sector that is open to both the employed and the unemployed. A sector where the creativity of the entrepreneur determines the amount of profits that the entrepreneur makes.

This article has been inspired by the immense opportunities in starting shoes business in Kenya. We wish to focus more on ladies shoes because a lady will buy several kinds of shoes/ open shoes compared to a man.

For a moment, we would like to inform you that we are not talking about second hand items (Mitumba). We are talking about new imported items that fetch good price in the market and earns you as a trader good profit margins.

Starting capital

You can start a shoes business with KShs. 50,000. There are many wholesalers who are selling at a rate of Kshs. 200-300. Talk to us if you wish us to connect you with them. Please note that the information about the wholesalers depend on your location.

With your Kshs. 50,000, you can acquire more than 150 pairs of shoes at a wholesale price of Kshs. 300. However, we advise you to use about Kshs. 20,000 first to test the waters. For each pair of shoe, ensure that the profit does not fall below KShs. 150.


Starting off
Many businesses die off at the starting point. This is mainly due to poor strategies and a low amount of capital after the draining of a significant capital during the purchase of initial stock. Don't loose hope at the start.

The best way to start off is not even to acquire a premise (i.e. a shop). Just approach a person with a shop and ask them to give you a space outside their shop (at the corridor or veranda). There you will make a small wooden table-like structure on which you will place your shoes. Now, if the corridor is always busy with people walking up and down, you are guaranteed that your business will take off within no time. Experiment for about 2 weeks using the shoes you bought at Kshs 20,000. During this time, learn about the following;

• The popular shoe size.
• The type of shoe that has highest demand.
• Comments that customers make. (If a customer tells you something about a given shoe then take note of that comment. Don't catch feelings over negative comments. Actually the comments that makes you learn the most are the negative comments.).

How to appeal to the customer

There are small things that will attract the customers to your business. These are;

• Proper display: It is important that you clearly display the shoes as well as the price. Remember to indicate whether the price can be negotiated. Some customers might be walking around with KShs. 1000 in their pockets only to see your trendy and new shoes displayed with a price tag of KShs. 350 hanging besides them.

• Pricing: Pricing is very important. You should set a price that will attract a customer. The kind of price that increases the likelihood of the customer to buy the shoes. If you can lower the cost of acquiring the stock then you can set a price lower than that of your competitors. Although you will make less per pair of shoes, you will be able to sell more pairs and thus your high sales volume will earn you more.

• High Quality Shoes: Now, this is where many entrepreneurs fail the test. You don’t have to be a shoe manufacturer in order to sell high quality shoes. The quality of the shoes is not determined by whether or not the shoe has been manufactured using crocodile skin or the skin of a Zebu cow. The first thing that will determine the quality of the shoe before the eyes of the customer is how the shoe looks like. The customer will say that this is a quality shoe if that shoe;
• Looks trendy/ fashionable.
• Is new (No mitumba here).
• Has a nice look that can be a source of some pride/ prestige.

• Shoe Size: The shoe size affects the age bracket of the customers you are dealing with. Here, we wish to advise you to focus on customers between the age bracket of 18 to 35. People in this age bracket want to look trendy and so they are ready to part with money just to look fashionable. In this age bracket, the shoe size will range from size 38 to size 45. A majority of customers in this age bracket will wear shoes of the following sizes; size 38, size 39, size 40, size 41 and size 42. From our experience, stock more of size 41 and 42. Be cautious of wholesalers. They will mislead you by telling you that size 38-39 are fast moving compared to 41-42. remember that the wholesaler is also focusing on releasing the stock that has not been moving. You are not the person who will act as the dustbin of the wholesalers.

Setting the price

First, in order to succeed in this business you need to have much of your shoes selling below KSHs. 1000. Just a few of your shoes should be selling at KShs. 800. The average retail price for much of the shoes should range between KShs. 350 and KShs. 500. This price range will ensure that you have a very high sales volume per day. This high sales volume is good for the following reasons;

• The high sales volume will compensate for the affordable price margin that you have set.
• The high sales volume will earn you a lot of customers, most of whom will be returning to buy more shoes from you.
• The affordable price that results in the high sales volume will create an impression in the eyes of the customers that you are not a selfish trader who is only after money.

Let’s get down to business

Having read all of the above, it is time to get down to business. Start by acquiring the stock. Once you have the stock then make effort to secure a good location for the business. If you cannot secure a premise for the business then you can sell the goods in the open air market. Just start small and move to greater heights. Pesa Mashinani wishes you all the best. Bookmark this page.

Recommended: Other booming businesses.