The organisation was originally known as the St Crispin’s Boot Trades Association, and was formed in 1963 as a result of the amalgamation of the St Crispin’s Society of Shoemen and the National Boot Trades Association. In 1984 it’s name was changed to the Society of Master Shoe Repairers, as this was felt to be more meaningful and easily recognisable to those outside the industry. In 1997 the Society was joined by former members of the British Shoe Repair Association, and became the only national association for the shoe repair industry, representing for the first time both independent repairers and multiple companies.

 

However, the Shoe Repair industry began evolving at an amazing rate, with many members offering a wide range of products and services in addition to footwear repairs. Key cutting, engraving, watch repairs, and many other associated services have become common in Shoe Repair shops, with some of our members focusing solely on these other trades. To reflect these changes, the organisation again changed it’s name at the end of November 2003, becoming the MultiService Association. At the request of members whose businesses focus mainly on Shoe Repair and related services, we also kept the original Society of Master Shoe Repairers name. After a change over with committee members to focus on internet marketing and online traffic, the name The Society of Master Shoe Repairers is now abbreviated to SOMSR.

 

All our members offer the same high standards of service to their customers.

 

Our aim continues to be supporting our members and promoting the activities, skills and services which they provide, while at the same time helping to constantly improve customer service standards. We’ve recently revised and improved the Code of Practice for Customer Care which all our members operate under and which offers better protection to customers than they are entitled to under the terms of consumer legislation. Which means that you can expect a first class deal and fair treatment from any of our members and, in the unlikely event of a dispute, we have an independent arbitration service to help sort the problem out. You can therefore use the services provided by our members with total confidence.

 

If you’re a trader offering a service to the public, and you’d like to find out more about the benefits to your business and your customers of joining the SoMSR, please email the Secretary on info@somsr.com