Shoe-store industry — 2015
Revenue: $34.3 billion
Profit: $1.4 billion
Number of shoe stores: 11,122
Number of employees: 213,433
Total wages: $3.8 billion
Source: IBISWorld.com
The fifth generation of the family that founded Roderer Shoe Center is expanding the store’s product lines and taking other steps to ensure the 109-year-old business stays nimble in an increasingly competitive market.
The independent shoe center at 316 E. Stroop Road in the Town & Country Shopping Center in Kettering has grown in size and scope frequently in recent years, as members of the Roderer family navigated the obstacles presented by national shoe-store chains, department stores and Internet-based shoe sellers.
The store has succeeded over the long haul for several reasons, according to Chris and Emily Roderer, the brother-sister team that runs the day-to-day operations of Roderer Shoe Center. The store focuses on personal service, carries a wide array of sizes and widths, offers brands and styles that are both comfortable and fashionable, is active in the community and doesn’t hesitate to special-order shoes for customers, Chris Roderer said.
“We have the service of a mom-and-pop shop, but the look and feel of a national store,” he said.
Now, Roderer Shoe Center is jumping into the work-boots and work-shoe market, prompted in part by the departure of Raven Rock, the Washington Twp. work-apparel and shoe retailer that shut down its last store in Sugarcreek Twp. in April. Chris Roderer said he’s looking forward to expanding the store’s work-shoe offerings to fill the void left by Raven Rock, which at its peak operated 17 stores in five states.
The shoe-store industry overall took some hard hits during the Great Recession, but market analysts say it’s on the rebound.
Los Angeles-based IBISWorld Inc., an independent industry research firm, projects that the shoe-store industry will see average annual growth over the next five years of 2.5 percent, to $38.9 billion by 2020.
In its January 2015 industry-analysis report on shoe stores in the U.S., IBISWorld noted that traditional shoe stores are threatened by competition from department stores, mass-merchandise stores and online retailers. The competition forces shoe stores to compete on price, which can limit profits.
But as discretionary household income rebounds from the recession, shoppers will be more likely to buy shoes for fashion purposes rather than out of necessity, IBISWorld analysts said. In addition, the industry will benefit from a growing number of people participating in sports and fitness activities, the report said.
Those are encouraging words for Chris and Emily Roderer, the great-great-grandchildren of George Roderer, who opened his first shoe shop on Xenia Avenue in Dayton in 1906. Today, there are two Roderer shoe store in the Dayton area, each owned and operated separately, but sharing the surname and the thread to George Roderer. The second store, Roderer Shoes, is located at 5500 N. Main St. in Harrison Twp. and is overseen by Chris and Emily’s second cousin Tom Roderer and members of his family, Chris Roderer said. The Kettering store and its adjacent New Balance shoe store are owned by Chris and Emily’s father Marty Roderer.
Both Chris, who obtained a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton, and Emily, who holds an education degree from Wright State University, explored careers in other fields before deciding to join the shoe center full-time.
“We were never pressured to go into the family business,” Chris Roderer said.
Chris is general manager, and Emily is the merchandise buyer. The family members are backed by a 34-person staff, some with decades of experience fitting shoes.
“We don’t have a commission-based staff,” Emily Roderer said. “We’re honest and up-front with customers, and that has helped us develop a very loyal customer base.”
The family-owned shoe center doesn’t release sales figures, but Chris Roderer said sales are up slightly so far this year compared to 2014. With back-to-school season starting, and holiday sales on the horizon, he is optimistic.
“This should end up as a strong year for us,” he said.
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