Apex Footwear recognised at Retail Asia Awards 2024 for business performance, sustainability drive

It has set new standards for environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability.

Manufacturing and retail footwear brand Apex Footwear emerged victorious at the coveted Retail Asia Awards 2024, bagging the Footwear Retailer of the Year - Bangladesh for its tremendous business performance over the past three years, as well as the Sustainability Initiative of the Year - Bangladesh win for its green initiatives and sustainability report in accordance with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

For over 25 years, Apex Footwear has been growing exponentially and solidifying its foothold in the footwear industry and its customer’s hearts. It has the largest coverage of any footwear brand in Bangladesh today, having over 480 stores nationally and a sales force of 1,296 personnel. It has also recorded an average revenue growth of 14% for the past three years in the retail segment, clocking in US$72m in 2023 alone.

The company has inaugurated the largest-ever footwear retail store in the country with a whopping 22,500 sq.ft. area in Bashundhara City Shopping Mall, Dhaka. At the same time, Apex Footwear has pioneered innovative marketing campaigns, created a distinct brand identity and fostered a deeper connection with its target audience.

In the past year as well, Apex Footwear has introduced over 3,500 designs of footwear articles, which are all developed in its own design lab and are mainly produced in their their own manufacturing units for the retail division, maintaining absolute authenticity of the leather and other materials and ensuring craftsmanship the customers have come to know it for.

Meanwhile, in the publication of its sustainability report, the company has highlighted its initiatives that are focused on three major areas: product, environment, and community. Its efforts are marked by innovations that redefine the norms of the footwear manufacturing industry.

Amongst these innovations is the utilisation of recycled materials in the manufacturing process, demonstrating Apex Footwear's dedication to reducing reliance on non-renewable resources. As part of this process, it has recycled 451 tons of materials to be reused in production.

It has also implemented state-of-the-art machineries and processes to enhance energy efficiency and minimise waste, ensuring that each stride taken in Apex Footwear leaves a lighter mark on the planet.

The company’s savings and efficiency have reached new heights with 1299MWh of electricity savings and 1594 cubic metres of water savings, and the lowering of its carbon emissions by 6% overall and by 9% per pair produced. It is also actively taking measures and ensuring infrastructures and mechanisms to reach its target of CO2 emissions reduction by 65% in 2027.

For its production, 74,000 pairs of shoes have been produced from recycled ethylene vinyl acetate with a 20% growth target by the end of 2023. Whilst, 96% of leather sourced are from LWG-rated tanneries with an average traceability of leather at 50% and a 100% coverage target by 2023. The company has also worked with waste management service provider Geocycle to co-process 298 tons of hazardous waste, also with a target of 100% by 2023.

“In an industry where sustainable practices or publishing of sustainability reports is near to nonexistent, and is not regulated or mandated for retail and/or manufacturing brands, we believe it is our duty to responsibly work towards addressing the world’s most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges within our scope of operations for the betterment of the people, the environment and our country,” the company said.

Retail Asia Awards honours companies that have recently launched innovative retail projects or initiatives, as well as industry leaders that have propelled their respective brands to maintain a competitive edge.

The Retail Asia Awards is presented by Retail Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2025 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's exceptional products or initiatives in the Retail industry, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].