Full control ensures shoe retailer never misses a step
By RACHAEL BOON
THE success of shoe label and fashion retailer Charles & Keith
International on the global front can be attributed to its ability to have a firm grip of its operations across its vast network of stores and factories.
This unwavering commitment has put the company in good stead to weather the major crises it had faced, dating back to the days when the retailer was operating out of a small store in Ang Mo
Kio in 1990.
Back then, co-founder and chief executive Charles Wong, 39, and his younger brother, Keith,
37, were just teenagers helping out at their mother’s shop.
She wanted the older Mr Wong to close the unprofitable shoe section, but the future shoe maven was determined to turn it around.
He mapped out a plan to take control of the entire shoe business operations – from stocks to design and even shoe sizing.
As a result, the shoes sold well and Mr Wong managed to stave off the store’s closure.
This experience honed his business acumen, which would serve him well when he decided to set up his own shoe company with his younger brother, who is the firm’s chief operating officer.
From the outset, the siblings were determined to make a name for themselves by starting their own brand.
In 1996, they set up shop in
Amara Shopping Centre to market and sell Charles & Keith shoes at a time when it was unheard of for local shoe retailers to brand themselves.
The move was prompted by their determination to cut out the middlemen, who forced up prices.
“Charles never liked consignments as the fees are very high.
He prefers to work in his own

store, where he can have full control,” said Charles & Keith International executive director Fong
Shee Beng.
With their firm grip on operations, the two founders were able to steer the fledgling company on a steady