Shoe polish brand Kiwi to stop selling products in UK. Here's why

2 Jan 2023

Economic Times

The glitzy brand 'Kiwi' will cease operations in the UK due to the growing popularity of casual footwear and working from home.

Shoe polish brand – 'Kiwi' has decided to discontinue selling its polish in the UK. Kiwi is not a New Zealand-owned company, however, Kiwi – a brand of shoe polish, made this name popular worldwide. The renowned firm which the military and business people favored and which is recognized for having a Kiwi on the tin, is actually Australian.

The firm was established in 1906 in a two-room facility in Melbourne, and throughout World War I, the British and American forces favored it as their preferred polish. The business was selling 250 million tins every year in 183 nations by the early 1980s.

Over the years, it has become a preferred choice for people in the UK. However, media outlets in the United Kingdom are lamenting the decline of the brand, claiming that the rise of the work-from-home lifestyle and the evolving standards for business clothing have resulted in a decline in the number of Britons polishing their boots.

A firm representative earlier told the media that the company no longer considered Britain a priority since fewer Britons were cleaning their shoes and there had been an increase in casual shoes that do not really require formal polishing.

He also noted that it will continue to market its goods in nations where traditional shoe maintenance "remains relevant". The Financial Times stated that British consumers were having trouble locating Kiwi brand shoe polish and were then stockpiling whatever they could find.

David James, a 62-year-old shoe cleaner and repairman, has noticed a change in consumer behavior toward more casual footwear. David's family has worked in the sector for the previous 100 years, and he calls Kiwi's departure "a sign of the times."

FAQs. 1- Who is the current owner of the Kiwi brand? S.C. Johnson is the current owner of the Kiwi brand. 2- How did Kiwi get its name? The Te Ara Encyclopedia claimed that the company's founder, William Ramsay, gave the name Kiwi in honor of his wife Annie, who was born in New Zealand

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