Managing director, Schuh

Colin Temple

Run from its unassuming base in the Scottish new town of Livingston, under the leadership of Colin Temple, Schuh has quietly carved out a niche as a pioneer when it comes to online footwear retailing. With an easy-to-use, intuitive site, and bespoke systems, which mean the stores, the warehouse and the web really do talk to each other, it can teach many larger retailers a thing or two when it comes to selling online.

A culture of thrift runs through the business, with Schuh making effective use of eBay to clear unsold stock and move on to the next trend. The online success of Schuh – which celebrated its 30th birthday this year – was one of the attractions to US footwear giant Genesco, which paid £125m for Schuh in June. Genesco owns the Journeys brand in the US, and exchanging best practice between the two businesses is likely to be a feature of the new regime.