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Hotter Shoes's Overview

Total employees233
HeadquartersSkelmersdale
Founded1959

Hotter Shoes is a British footwear brand renowned for its dedication to comfort, style, and quality. Founded in 1959 in Lancashire, England, Hotter built a strong reputation for designing shoes with features like lightweight soles, cushioned insoles, and soft leather uppers, primarily targeting a mature demographic seeking comfortable yet fashionable footwear. Historically, the company operated through mail order, a significant number of retail stores across the UK, and an online presence. In July 2023, following financial difficulties faced by its parent company Unbound Group plc (which entered administration), the Hotter Shoes brand, intellectual property, and online assets were acquired by WoolOvers Group. This acquisition marked a strategic shift for Hotter Shoes towards an online-only retail model, closing its physical stores but aiming to continue serving its loyal customer base through its e-commerce platform.

Where is Hotter Shoes's Headquarters?

HQ Function

Historically, this site served as the main manufacturing, design, distribution, and administrative headquarters. Post-acquisition, it likely continues to support e-commerce operations, customer service, and design for the Hotter brand under WoolOvers Group management.

Notable Features:

The Skelmersdale site was notable for housing one of the UK's largest shoe-making factories, emphasizing 'Made in Britain' for a portion of its products. Its future role will be adapted to the online-first strategy.

Work Culture:

The work culture historically emphasized craftsmanship, customer comfort, and product quality. Under new ownership and an online model, the focus will likely be on e-commerce efficiency, digital marketing, and maintaining brand loyalty through excellent customer service.

HQ Significance:

Skelmersdale remains significant as the historic home of the Hotter brand, representing its manufacturing heritage and deep roots in the UK footwear industry, even as operations evolve under new ownership.

Values Reflected in HQ: Historically reflected values of British manufacturing, quality, and comfort. The site's current operations will reflect the brand's continued commitment to comfort and quality, now driven by e-commerce excellence.

Location:

Hotter Shoes primarily operates as an online retailer with a global reach, shipping to numerous countries including the USA, Australia, and across Europe. Following its acquisition by WoolOvers Group and the closure of its physical retail stores, its international presence is exclusively through its e-commerce platform. Functions supported globally include online sales, international shipping and logistics, digital marketing tailored to different regions, and customer service accessible to international customers.

Street Address:

2 Peel Road

City:

Skelmersdale

State/Province:

Lancashire

Country:

United Kingdom

Hotter Shoes's Global Presence

Burgess Hill, West Sussex, United Kingdom

Address: WoolOvers House, Victoria Gardens, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9NB, United Kingdom

Serves as the central command for all WoolOvers Group brands, including Hotter Shoes, overseeing UK and international operations, marketing strategy, and corporate functions.

Buying Intent Signals for Hotter Shoes

Highperformr Signals uncover buying intent and give you clear insights to target the right accounts at the right time — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams close more deals, faster.

Notable news
Hiring actively
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
*Example signal, not calculated in real time

Executive Team of Hotter Shoes

As of April 2025, Hotter Shoes' leadership includes:

Mike Hancox - Chief Executive Officer, WoolOvers Group (Parent Company)
Neil Sansom - Group Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer, WoolOvers Group (Overseeing Hotter brand strategy)

Investors of Hotter Shoes

Hotter Shoes has been backed by several prominent investors over the years, including:

WoolOvers Group (Current Owner)

Executive New Hires/Exits in the Last 12 Months

Hire0
Exits2

The most significant executive changes for Hotter Shoes occurred in mid-2023 when its former parent company, Unbound Group plc, went into administration, leading to the departure of its board and executive team. Hotter Shoes was subsequently acquired by WoolOvers Group, whose existing leadership team now oversees the brand.

Departures

Ian Watson, Departed as CEO of Unbound Group (former parent of Hotter Shoes) when the company entered administration.
Dan Wagner, Departed as CFO of Unbound Group (former parent of Hotter Shoes) when the company entered administration.

New Appointments:

Mike Hancox, WoolOvers Group, led by CEO Mike Hancox, acquired the Hotter Shoes brand, with its existing leadership team taking over strategic direction for Hotter.

Technology (Tech Stack) used by Hotter Shoes

Discover the tools Hotter Shoes uses. Highperformr reveals the technologies powering your target accounts — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams prioritize smarter and close faster.

Hotter Shoes Email Formats and Examples

Email communications for Hotter Shoes will likely be managed under the WoolOvers Group structure. Common professional email formats include [first].[last]@[companydomain.com] or [first_initial][last]@[companydomain.com]. For Hotter-specific communications, they may retain the @hotter.com domain.

[first].[last]@hotter.com or [first_initial][last]@hotter.com (Potentially also @woolovers.com for group-level roles)

Format

j.doe@hotter.com or jdoe@hotter.com

Example

70%

Success rate

News and media

DrapersJuly 18, 2023

Hotter Shoes news title: WoolOvers rescues Hotter Shoes from administration

Direct-to-consumer knitwear and lifestyle brand WoolOvers Group has acquired Hotter Shoes out of administration for £6.7m. The deal will see Hotter’s remaining 17 stores and four concessions close....more

Retail GazetteJuly 19, 2023

Hotter Shoes news title: All Hotter Shoes stores to close as new owner shifts brand online

Hotter Shoes is set to close all of its stores after being snapped up by direct-to-consumer knitwear retailer WoolOvers Group. The footwear retailer's new owner will shift the brand to an online-only business....more

The GuardianMay 23, 2023

Hotter Shoes news title: Hotter Shoes owner Unbound Group to appoint administrators

Unbound Group, the owner of Hotter Shoes, has said it intends to appoint administrators after it failed to secure new funding or find a buyer for the troubled footwear retailer....more

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