Hyderabad, October 28, 2021: RAPPORT, a shoe store of a unique kind in the country opened in the city at Filmnagar.
Shri Yerrabelli Dayakar Rao, Minister of State for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Govt of Telangana And Shri Maganti Gopinath, MLA, Jubilee Hills inaugurated the store.
It is a matter of great pride for me to inaugurate Hyderabad’s first shoe experience store said Mr Yerraballi Dayakar Rao. I am happy that this unique shoe store featuring some rare international brands has come up in my constituency, Jubilee Hills said local MLA Maganti Gopinath.
The store with 6000sft is equipped with Shoe Laundry and Leather Restoration; Gait Analysis, a tool used to assess the way one walks and runs; Customized bridal collection; Customized formal wear; Limited edition sneakers; smart and intelligent shoes; extensive, rare and premium most brands offering the ultimate shoe buying experience disclosed Teja Bodepudi, 31 yers old IT Engineer, the founder and chief innovator of RAPPORT. Rapport as Teja has put is a dialogue with customers, a positive relationship so that they can get the shoes that they aspire for. He is the Director of Profit Shoes, a three-decade-old, well-known footwear brand from Telugu states.
We have invested together with the show and in stock RS 5 crore. We will soon expand to Guntur in AP which will be inaugurated in December. We will set up 3 to 4 similar stores in Hyderabad in Gachibowli, Kukatpally and other areas and might invest Rs 20 crore in this expansion which will happen by the end of next fiscal. We will also foray into all major metro in India in near future, Teja informed.
Rapport store is expecting Rs 5 crore turnover in this fiscal and aim Rs 11 to 12 crore in next financial year.
Aprajitha Toor; Fizzy Goblet, Cai are known as celebrity brands and they are available online to Indian customers so far are now available physically in this store. The Palladium brand is available first time in India at Hyderabad in Rapport Shoe store. Melissa brand is available just in Delhi and Hyderabad, Teja informed.
Rapport is a new vertical of the Vijayawada based Profit Shoes Pvt. Ltd.
The brands being showcased in the store include Steve Madden; Dune London; Ecco; Clarks; Saucony; Adidas; Ascis; Aprajitha Toor; Fizzy Goblet, Cai, H&S; Calvin Klein, Cole Haan, Skechers, Crimzon, Catwalk, Asics, Puma, Nike, Reebok, Inc.5, ANTA, Charles & Keith; Crocs, Florsheim, Fitflop, Wet Blue and ALDO.
Shoe Laundry and Leather Restoration is the need of the hour. Taking care of shoes is taxing. There is no professional service offered to service premium shoes. As a result people often ignore their problem with shoes. And rather prefer buying a new pair instead of repairing the old ones. But now things will change. The new trend in the market is Shoe Laundry and restoration of the leather. It provides cleaning, repairing, colouring, restoration, drying and dying too. It is a Shoes Spa. it is a caretaker for your shoes.
Gait Analysis is a tool used to assess the way one walks and runs. It is a free service. The free gait analysis is provided as part of a shoe fitting process. The set-up comprises an analysis station with a treadmill, camera, and a laptop equipped with sensor software. It evaluates foot patterns and fits into a running shoe. To begin with, it captures a short video of around 20 seconds of running on the treadmill in a neutral shoe with little or no cushioning. This helps to highlight abnormalities in the gait. Using the inputs generated, the staff of Rapport will be able to analyze the pattern.
This gives insights and understanding for selecting the right type of running shoe and ultimately could help you to avoid injury.
This is a one-stop shop for all foot needs. We pay more attention to clothes and less attention to footwear. Feet carry the burden of the body. We are always on our feet. Feet health is very important. But the least amount of attention is paid to buying the right shoes. As a result, we experience issues such as blisters, knee, back, spine and hip pain. With an understanding of feet science or science behind the shoe, we can mitigate the problem, said Teja Bodepudi while interacting with the media minutes after the new showroom was thrown open to the public. We bring with us 40 years of experience in the footwear industry. Our parent company Profit Shoes has over 100 outlets in South Indian states and it is the most admired brand, he added
Our job is to look at the feet of the people. Why we chose Hyderabad to roll out this new vertical is because this market is the fastest growing in India. The city is open to new offerings. If this model clicks, we would like to replicate it across India, Teja informed. It is experiential shoe shopping. We constantly think of enhancing the customer experience. In a cutthroat competition, an enjoyable experience is a way that adds value to a brand.
Teenagers look for trendy shoes. Fitness freaks look for comfort in walking shoes. Shoe hobbyists look for kind shoes. An executive looks for a wide variety of shoes that suit different occasions. The current pain points with shoe shopping in Hyderabad is finding the right size/shoes not fitting properly; shoe stretch, finding their choice and colour, finding a good quality shoe that lasts more than a season of wear, finding someone at the shoe store who understands your foot needs. The shoe buying experience is already eroding in online purchases. Rapport helps you have unique shoes, as per your needs and choices. The shoes will be as unique as you are, added Teja.
In the coming years shoe buying is going to be more complicated as the technology is being integrated into the shoe, said Teja. Thanks to wearable technology, smart shoes are on the rise. The next-gen footwear is coming with more challenging product design and utility value. Can you imagine your shoes can make you run faster?
Nike’s Zoom Vaporfly running shoes help athletes run 4% faster. Self-tying shoes are a new trend. Nike already has self-tying shoes. The Adapt BB — Nike’s decades-long dream to create an auto-lacing smart shoe that adapts to wearers’ feet is now a reality. After smart homes, luggage, we have smart shoes, the shoes that are digitally connected.
The shoes with GPS can track the children, blind, and senior citizens, Teja informed. Some Shoes see. Shoes with sensors embedded in them have been created to alert blind and visually impaired people to obstacles in their path. There are vegan shoes, made up of vegan material. Shoes made from alternative materials, alternatives to leather such as pineapple, ocean waste, algae, mushroom etc
Rapport is a futuristic vertical with a future full of promises, added Teja.
