Footsure
Footsure is a UK trade-only B2B distributor of safety footwear, occupational footwear, wellingtons, and workwear, established in 1980 and serving retail and industrial trade customers across the UK and Ireland from its Gloucestershire distribution centre.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersHardwicke, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Footsure does
Footsure (trading as Footsure Western Ltd) is a UK trade-only B2B distributor of safety footwear, occupational footwear, wellingtons, and workwear, established in 1980 and operating from a purpose-built distribution centre in Gloucestershire. The company serves retail and industrial distributive trade customers across the UK and Ireland through a login-gated e-commerce portal (footsure.net), six dedicated area sales managers covering the UK and Ireland, and an in-house customer service team available 8am-5pm. Its catalogue comprises over 2,000 stocked product lines spanning safety/occupational footwear conforming to EN ISO 20345:2011/2022 and EN ISO 20347:2012, workwear, wellingtons, and a broader lifestyle range under the Gardiners sub-brand, drawing on authorised-distributor relationships with brands such as Caterpillar (via SRI Apparel, Wolverine Worldwide, Inspecs and Boss Manufacturing licensees), Amblers, Dickies, Timberland Pro, Hard Yakka, Helly Hansen, Magnum, and Muck Boots.
The business model is wholesale distribution: Footsure purchases from brand owners/licensees and resells at trade prices to distributors and sub-distributors, with pricing login-gated and not publicly disclosed. Revenue is supplemented by per-shipment carriage charges for orders below defined thresholds (£7.95 UK mainland under £250; £15 Highland/Islands/NI under £350; £15 ROI under £500). Same-day despatch is offered for orders received by 10am on a 24-hour carrier service, and ISO certification (certificate 253726, issued by British Assessment) underpins a compliance regime that includes maintained technical files, supplier compliance verification, and Declarations of Conformity issued on request. Footsure is part of the Gardiners group, trades under standard Instock Footwear Suppliers Association Terms of Trade, and has been recognised with the Gloucestershire Business of the Year 2023 and Environmental & Sustainability Award 2023.
Footsure firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Footsure
- Legal name
- Footsure Western Ltd
- Website
- https://footsure.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Footsure is a UK trade-only B2B distributor of safety footwear, occupational footwear, wellingtons, and workwear, established in 1980 and serving retail and industrial trade customers across the UK and Ireland from its Gloucestershire distribution centre.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Footsure industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wholesale Safety Footwear & Workwear Distribution
- NAICS
- Footwear Merchant Wholesalers (42434), Footwear Merchant Wholesalers (424340), Shoe Retailers (458210), Shoe Retailers (45821), Shoe Retailers (4582), Footwear Manufacturing (316210)
- SIC
- Retail-Shoe Stores (5661), Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140), Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Casual & Lifestyle Footwear Retail (CRAAADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Work, Safety & Occupational Footwear (CRAAACAE), Casual & Lifestyle Footwear (CRAAACAB)
Keywords
Where Footsure is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hardwicke
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Footsure business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Wholesale Distribution of Safety Footwear and Workwear: Core revenue stream: trade-only wholesale distribution of branded safety footwear, occupational footwear, wellingtons and workwear to retail and industrial distributive trades. Orders placed via trade account login, fulfilled from in-stock inventory (over 2,000 product lines), with carriage paid thresholds and per-shipment fees layered on.
- Delivery/Carriage Charges: Secondary revenue/offset: per-shipment carriage charges for orders below free-carriage thresholds (£7.95 UK mainland under £250; £15 Highland/Islands/NI under £350; £15 ROI under £500).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Trade account wholesale pricing (login-gated) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Footsure product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Footsure Western Ltd is a UK-based trade-only wholesale distributor of safety footwear, occupational footwear, wellingtons, and workwear, founded in 1980 and operating as part of the Gardiners group. The company holds over 2,000 product lines in stock at its Gloucestershire warehouse and sells exclusively to trade customers via a login-gated e-commerce portal backed by a six-person area sales team covering the UK and Ireland, with same-day despatch and 24-hour carrier service. It is an authorized distributor of the Caterpillar (CAT) footwear brand through multiple licensees, alongside an ISO-certified (cert 253726) distribution operation.
Product overview
Footsure (trading as Footsure Western Ltd, with the Gardiners sibling label) operates a trade-only B2B distribution catalogue rather than a single unified software product. Its offering is organised as a platform-plus-modules architecture: a central ordering/login portal (footsure.net) that hosts two own-brand labels (Footsure for safety/occupational footwear and Gardiners for lifestyle, childrens and casual footwear) and a wide portfolio of distributed third-party brands grouped into product categories. The product catalogue modules include Occupational Footwear, Safety Footwear (with sub-categories such as boots, dealers, Goodyear welted, hiker, ladies, trainers, metal-free, metatarsal, riggers, shoes, waterproof), Wellingtons, Workwear (with sub-categories for jackets, fleeces, gloves, headwear, trousers, polo shirts, base layer, PPE, socks, etc.), Adult Clogs, Beach, Childrens Shoes, Childrens Summer, Hikers, Ladies Boots, Ladies Shoes, Mens Shoes, Sports, Sports Clothing, Accessories, Luggage, Sundries and Slippers. Across these categories Footsure distributes brand-name products from Amblers Safety, Caterpillar, Dickies, Timberland Pro, Hard Yakka, Helly Hansen, Magnum, Muck Boots, Puma Safety, Puma Workwear, Blundstone, Dunlop, Dr Martens, Haix, Centek, Cofra, Albatros, Steel Flex, Upower, Hunter Safety, Hush Puppies, Crocs, Hunter, Geox, Skechers, TOMS, Superga, Cotswold, Hush Puppies, Rocket Dog, Birkenstock and many others, supplying them to retail and industrial distributors across the UK and Ireland from its Gloucester distribution centre.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Gardiners: A sub-brand operated under the Footsure umbrella offering accessories, clogs, beach footwear, children's shoes, hikers, ladies' and men's shoes, slippers, summer shoes, lifestyle items, luggage, plimsolls, sports and sports clothing, sundries, wellingtons and unisex slippers.
- Footsure (own-label)
Products and services
- Safety Footwear Distribution
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 2,000 product lines held in stock at any time
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Footsure
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Footsure technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Footsure partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- SRI Apparel LimitedflagshipFootsure Western Ltd is an authorised distributor of SRI Apparel Limited, a global apparel and accessory licensee of Caterpillar Inc. SRI Apparel's registered trademarks (Storm Blocker, Storm Blocker Plus, Workwear Redefined, Equip Yourself) are distributed through Footsure's trade channels.
- Wolverine WorldwideflagshipWolverine Worldwide is a footwear licensee of Caterpillar Inc. Footsure Western Ltd is an authorised distributor of Wolverine Worldwide's Caterpillar-licensed footwear, carrying Caterpillar safety footwear, workwear, accessories and other lines under licence.
- InspecscoreInspecs is a protective eyewear licensee of Caterpillar Inc. Footsure distributes Inspecs' Caterpillar-branded eyewear products as part of its workwear/PPE range.
- Boss ManufacturingcoreBoss Manufacturing is a gloves licensee of Caterpillar Inc. Footsure distributes Boss Manufacturing's Caterpillar-branded gloves within its workwear portfolio.
- Gardiners Bros (Gardiners group)flagshipFootsure is part of the Gardiners group; the Gardiners range is referenced in product listings and recruitment signposts candidates to the Gardiner Bros careers site (gardinerbroscareers.co.uk). The Gardiners brand shares Footsure's trade catalogue (e.g., children's clogs and slippers).
- Amblers / Amblers SafetyflagshipAmblers Safety is featured as a 'Trusted by Brands' partner on the homepage and is one of the most heavily stocked brands across Footsure's safety footwear, occupational footwear and workwear categories.
- Caterpillar (CAT)flagshipCaterpillar is featured as a 'Trusted by Brands' partner on the homepage; CAT safety footwear, workwear, accessories and PPE are major stocked categories. Footsure is authorised via SRI Apparel, Wolverine Worldwide, Inspecs and Boss Manufacturing licensees.
- DickiescoreDickies is a 'Trusted by Brands' partner on the homepage with stocked workwear ranges including fleeces, jackets, shirts, shorts, socks, sweat shirts, polo shirts, tee shirts, trousers and boiler suits/coveralls.
- Timberland ProcoreTimberland Pro is a 'Trusted by Brands' partner on the homepage; safety footwear and workwear socks lines are stocked.
- Hard YakkacoreHard Yakka is a 'Trusted by Brands' partner on the homepage; stocked across safety footwear and workwear ranges including body warmers, jackets, shirts, shorts, socks, sweat shirts, tee shirts and trousers.
- Helly HansencoreHelly Hansen is a 'Trusted by Brands' partner on the homepage; stocked across safety trainers and workwear categories (base layer, body warmers, fleeces, headwear, jackets, polo shirts, shorts, socks, sweat shirts, tee shirts, trousers).
- MagnumcoreMagnum is a 'Trusted by Brands' partner on the homepage; stocked across safety footwear (boots, metal-free, metatarsal, waterproof) and occupational footwear ranges.
- Muck BootscoreMuck Boots is a 'Trusted by Brands' partner on the homepage; stocked across safety wellingtons, childrens wellingtons, garden shoes and unisex sports categories.
- Instock Footwear Suppliers AssociationminorThe Company trades under the standard Instock Footwear Suppliers Association Terms of Trade.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Footsure competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Portwest: Irish-headquartered manufacturer and distributor of safety footwear, workwear and PPE sold globally through distributor networks. Comparable to Footsure in safety footwear and workwear product mix, but operates primarily as a manufacturer selling through trade channels rather than as a pure trade distributor.
Direct peers
- Brammer (Rubix): UK industrial MRO and PPE distributor (now part of the Rubix group) supplying workwear, safety footwear and workplace consumables to industrial customers. Directly comparable in industrial-trade customer base and branded safety catalogue distribution.
- Greenham Trade UK: UK trade-only distributor of workwear, PPE, janitorial and safety supplies to businesses and public sector buyers. Closely comparable to Footsure in trade-only B2B distribution of branded safety footwear/workwear with nationwide fulfilment and account-based ordering.
- Buck & Hickman (Travis Perkins): UK industrial and trade supplies distributor covering tools, PPE, workwear and safety footwear for workshops and industrial customers. Comparable in trade channel and safety/workwear range, though broader in scope and backed by the Travis Perkins group.
- Arco: The UK's largest safety products distributor selling PPE, safety footwear and workwear to trade and industrial customers. Directly comparable to Footsure in product range (safety footwear/workwear), B2B trade channel, ISO-backed compliance documentation, and multi-brand distribution model, but at significantly larger national scale.
- Cromwell Tools: UK industrial supplies distributor serving trade and MRO customers with PPE, workwear, tools and safety products. Comparable in B2B distribution model, multi-brand industrial catalogue and trade-account ordering, although wider in product scope than Footsure's footwear-and-workwear focus.
Broad incumbents
- Toolstation: UK trade retailer of tools, hardware, workwear and safety products, part of the Travis Perkins group. Comparable in trade-channel distribution of safety/workwear categories but operates click-and-collect plus branch counter model rather than Footsure's pure B2B trade distribution model.
- Amazon Business UK: UK B2B procurement marketplace that lists safety footwear and workwear from multiple brands, including those distributed by Footsure. Comparable in that it offers trade buyers branded PPE/workwear with fast fulfilment, but as a broad marketplace rather than a specialised trade distributor with compliance documentation and area sales support.
- Screwfix: UK trade counter and online retailer of tools, workwear, safety footwear and site supplies to trade and DIY customers. Comparable in that it distributes branded workwear and safety footwear to trade buyers at national scale, but is a broader trade retailer rather than a B2B-only distributor.
- Lyreco UK: International workplace supplies distributor with UK operations covering PPE, workwear and safety footwear alongside office and janitorial supplies. Comparable B2B distribution of branded safety/workwear products but with much wider product portfolio and corporate-customer focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Footsure compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Footsure financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Footsure leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Footsure funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Footsure M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Footsure
What does Footsure do?
Footsure Western Ltd is a UK-based trade-only wholesale distributor of safety footwear, occupational footwear, wellingtons, and workwear, founded in 1980 and operating as part of the Gardiners group. The company holds over 2,000 product lines in stock at its Gloucestershire warehouse and sells exclusively to trade customers via a login-gated e-commerce portal backed by a six-person area sales team covering the UK and Ireland, with same-day despatch and 24-hour carrier service. It is an authorized distributor of the Caterpillar (CAT) footwear brand through multiple licensees, alongside an ISO-certified (cert 253726) distribution operation.
Is Footsure a public or private company?
Footsure is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Footsure founded?
Footsure was founded in 1980. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Footsure based?
Footsure is headquartered in Hardwicke, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Footsure make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Wholesale Distribution of Safety Footwear and Workwear is the primary driver. The others are delivery/Carriage Charges.
Who are Footsure's main competitors?
Portwest is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Brammer (Rubix), Greenham Trade UK, Buck & Hickman (Travis Perkins), Arco and Cromwell Tools. Broad incumbents are Toolstation, Amazon Business UK, Screwfix and Lyreco UK.
Does Footsure have an API?
No public API is recorded for Footsure.
What industry is Footsure in?
Footsure's product category is Wholesale Safety Footwear & Workwear Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAADAB, Casual & Lifestyle Footwear Retail, with a secondary code of CRAAACAE, Work, Safety & Occupational Footwear. Its NAICS code is 42434 and its SIC code is 5661.