The right fit for company expansion

After immigrating to Australia from Ireland in the 1970s, Paul Carroll started a small shoe retail and repair business in Tuart Hill.

Now, 33 years later, his family company, Paul Carroll and Son, has seven retail stores, a wholesale arm that distributes European imports and a contract manufacturer for its own line of shoes, Klouds.

With the company opening three additional retail stores during the past 18 months, Mr Carroll has focused his thoughts on what made the business successful in the first place, and has sought to reproduce that at its new locations.

"One of the things I saw in Australia was no one measured the foot. The policy that I always set up with my staff is everyone's feet were measured," Mr Carroll told WA Business News.

He believes the basic service principle of finding the right shoe for the individual gave his company an advantage over the larger retail chains, which could not offer the same level of knowledge and service to their customers.

"That's given us an edge, the fact that we looked at the people's feet, so when they were getting a shoe we knew the shoe was going to be as close to the foot as possible, and I think that's where our business grew," Mr Carroll said.

"By getting the right-fitting shoe they had comfort, and by having comfort they would tell someone else."

Mr Carroll's son, John, who is general manager of the business, said the successful expansion was also about growing on an established clientele, while keeping a focus on all stores, not just the new ones.

"I think we developed and built a good core of business. We were trying not to forget about the other stores; so when it came to upgrades and refitting (the older stores)...they weren't being left behind," John Carroll said.

John, who joined the shoe specialist in 1993 after completing a bachelor of business, said he never thought of getting into the shoe business with his father.

"At home I sat at the table for 10 years and never showed any interest in shoes, but I guess being around it all my life I had developed a bit of a passion for it as well," he said.

After finishing his degree, John had expected to run the financial side of the business, but his father told him it was important he first understood what the business was about.

"He [Paul] said 'until you understand the business, until you start fitting shoes and finding out that part, before you touch any books you get up on the sales floor, you serve, you measure and you fit, and you develop that customer relationship that the business was built on'," John said.

With the business aiming to deliver a service not ofered by its competitors, Paul Carroll and Son also aimed to deliver a superior range and quality of shoe to its consumers.

"We're trying to have unique brands, unique fitting properties, and a quality service for that customer that wants to come in and feel important," John said.

"I think the fact that dad always went to the European and American shoe fairs and we would be the people to see the trends and developments, stocking brands that no-one else would have.

"We go and we source and we see new and fresh and unique brands but we always try and remember...that quality is quality and try and have that quality merchandise that people want."

With a retail base spanning seven stores from Joondalup to Fremantle, the business also wholesales European labels and makes its unique orthotic shoe brand, Klouds, through a contract manufacturer in Indonesia.