Children’s shoe-fitting organisation The Footwear Hub has written to the Chancellor ahead of the Budget on 28 October, calling for measures to protect specialist independent footwear retailers.

The intervention follows research from Simply Business naming independent shoe shops as Britain’s most endangered business type and predicting that, at the current rate of closures, they could disappear by 2037.

Founded by qualified shoe fitters Tanya Marriott and Nadia Arden-Scott, the not-for-profit organisation argues that further closures would leave more families without local access to professional children’s shoe fitting and the associated foot health expertise.

 

 

The Footwear Hub wants specialist independents included in business rates reform.

The government confirmed a 20% business rates cut for pubs, social clubs and live music venues from April 2027, alongside a commitment to wider reform of Small Business Rates Relief in the Budget.

It is also calling for clear national guidance for parents on children’s foot health and recognised training for shoe fitters, with the aim of improving access to expert fitting across the UK.

The campaign comes as footwear retailers face rising operating costs. The organisation says a number of fitters, including its members, have closed branches following increases in employer National Insurance, business rates and the minimum wage.

 

 

Commenting is Tanya Marriott, co-founder of The Footwear Hub and owner of SoleLution in Portishead.

“I’ve gone from 12 staff to four and closed a branch. Not because families stopped coming, but because National Insurance, business rates and wages all went up at once. Every week I see children in shoes that are too small. The government is spending £210 million to fill empty shops. It would be far cheaper to help us stay open.”

Nadia Arden-Scott, co-founder of The Footwear Hub and owner of ShuZu in Farnborough, adds, “Fitting children’s shoes is a real skill. It takes training and years of practice. When an independent shop closes, that knowledge leaves the town with it. We want this Budget to recognise that these shops aren’t just retail. They’re part of how children grow up healthy.”

The Footwear Hub, which launched in 2026 alongside the Fit Well, Grow Well campaign, has 53 member shops across the UK. Its members have also written to their local MPs in support of the campaign. For further information on The Footwear Hub, please click here.