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You all know me. My kind can be found in the homes of everyone from little kids playing in the yard to fitness freaks doing circuits and the less energetic trying to get their daily steps in.
With growing focus on healthier lifestyles and the rise of athleisure as a fashion trend, and easier shopping at the click of a mouse, there’s a good chance there’s more than one pair in your wardrobe.
Back in the 1960s, my predecessors used to be made to order, by hand, in a workshop where a small team of shoemakers would produce about 30 pairs of shoes per day. Things are very different now. Today, we are mass produced by tailor-made machines in factories working day in, day out to produce thousands of pairs daily to keep up with global demand.
Big business
According to a recent Athleisure Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report, the global athleisure market was valued at USD 358.08 billion in 2023 and is expected to growth by 9.3% until 2030.
Athletic-casual clothing is becoming more widely accepted for use in a range of social settings, and even at work.
The journey
Mass production and global demand mean big-scale distribution to markets around the world. It’s important to trust that part of our journey to the right people.
I was one of millions of pairs of sneakers destined for India, where growing purchasing power of ordinary people is driving their desire for me and my brothers and sisters. With an estimated market size of US$ 1.1 Billion in 2023 and a projected CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 14% up to 2028, the athleisure industry in India is poised for exponential growth.
My makers chose to work with GAC to help reach its Indian markets. They had already been using the Group’s logistics and 3PL services in Dubai, so when the time came to move into the Indian market, they wanted the same reliable, comprehensive support to handle their supply chain here too.
I was one of many pairs loaded into a container which then went on a long sea voyage that ended up at the Inland Container Depot in Tughlakabad, a south-east district of New Delhi. Once there, we were moved en masse into a custom bonded warehouse and kept until we released to meet orders.
Teamwork
GAC India has to match the information in the custom bond document with bill of entry to match – and believe me, that’s quite a task!
And then there’s more. As Senior Executive (Customer Service) Anita Menon explains, the GAC team manage everything from clearance of good, stocking in their dedicated 2,000 square foot warehouse and shipping to the intended customer, with every pair of shoes was handled with care.
They also have to ensure efficient inventory management to keep order fulfilment times to a minimum. Their Stock Keeping Unit meticulously barcodes and labels every item to ensure traceability, precise product tracking and accurate delivery. No one wants to see empty shelves in a showroom window, right?
For the online retailers like Flipkart and Amazon warehouses, GAC follows a separate Standard Operating Procedure which includes different packaging standards specified by each platform.
GAC always make sure deliveries are made within the designated time slots, so that when you strike the winning goal in New Delhi, you have the perfect pair of shoes all the way from New York.
Their success in getting me to my owner’s feet is a tale of teamwork. And talking of teams, I’ve got to lace up and get going! There’s a soccer game waiting for us to score the winning goal.
