Sole awakening

"Let's say that it really has made a massive difference between sleeping at night and not," says Tim Little of his decision not only to run Grenson Shoes, but to spend millions buying it. "I could see that we had turned a corner and I was terrified of walking away and someone else seeing it all take off. Or of someone else messing it all up. But that's the arrogance of being certain that your way is the right way."

In Little's defence, so far it has been. The company, a classic men's shoemaker for 20th-century style icons such as Fred Astaire, Cary Grant and David Niven, has recently undergone an overhaul that has given it a modern appeal without throwing out the traditions of hand-crafting that give English men's shoes a world-class reputation. Grenson shoes may still be made using thread, hammers, nails and clackety Victorian machinery by artisans whose skills are often still passed down through family generations, but now they have a fashion edge to rival those made in Italy - and with a solidity of construction that, in many a shoe buff's opinion, outclasses most continental shoes.

Indeed, when Grenson opens its second London store next year, launches its e-commerce site - which will make finding a pair of dependable, chic but understated shoes in the UAE considerably easier than it is now - and pushes on with collaborations it has built with a number of up-and-coming menswear brands, including Albam and Rag & Bone, Little's case for taking the hallowed traditions of a company established in 1866 down new avenues might well be proven.

That the likes of Oasis' Noel Gallagher and movie icon Jack Nicholson wear Grenson shoes too now just adds to the brand's new cool status.

It was five years ago that financier Christian Purslow's father retired and he inherited Grenson. But shoes were not Purslow's thing and he began to look around for a suitable boss to move the company forward. He found Little, an ex-advertising man who, with pioneering foresight, had set up his own eponymous shoe brand in 1997, taking the best of British shoemaking but updating the style and presentation for a younger, more fashion-savvy audience.

The temptation to take the job was there. Little is a shoe fiend and Grenson is a star name in elite English shoemaking, alongside the likes of Church's, Crockett & Jones and Tricker's. And the need was there too: Grenson was at the same crisis point facing most of the 10 remaining men's shoe manufacturers in the UK. But it would be a huge challenge.

"It was clear there just wasn't demand for Grenson's products," says Little, who has also acted as design adviser to the likes of Dunhill, Tod's and Gieves & Hawkes. "They just weren't modern enough, while the company had come to rely on sales of a moccasin shoe that not only didn't fit with the brand but was sold to an older customer that was dying off. It wasn't alone - much of English shoe manufacturing is stuck on an old-fashioned, stuffy presentation, banging on about quality and nothing else. They understand manufacturing but not the market, because they have grown out of a time when that wasn't required - not marketing in the sense of putting an average product in a fancy box but making the product fit the market. And as far as I was concerned, the moccasin was dead from day one."

Killing the moccasin was not an all-round popular decision. Little faced a barrage of livid callers telling him he was killing an august institution. "They were telling me I was taking the company to the dogs. They felt like they had ownership of the Grenson name," Little explains, "while I felt like I was taking over a beloved football club, given the reaction I got."

He ploughed on with radical changes regardless. Branding and packaging were overhauled. Aware that, as Little puts it, "there are not that many men willing to pay £300 or more for a pair of shoes", he introduced a more accessibly-priced range made in India from designs and materials provided by Grenson, and returned the domestic factory to making only top-flight Goodyear-welted classics, strong on the claim of being 100 per cent genuinely British-made, rather than merely finished in the UK. Customers of the Indian products are now aspiring to trade up. He opened a shop in London's financial heartlands and began to work on making shoes for younger fashion brands that would help win Grenson a new credibility.

And a new emphasis has been placed on the company's apprentice scheme - the lack of sons following fathers in donning the shoemaker's leather apron and learning the 200-plus intricate steps required to assemble a pair of bench-made English shoes are the greatest single threat to the continuation of a centuries-old tradition, Little says.

Little has also taken a new approach to the very way the shoes were made, seeking to maintain the benefits of Goodyear welting. The specialist process by which a sole is affixed to the main body of a shoe allows it to mould to the foot shape for comfort and can be re-soled for longer life, without its associations of weight and stiffness. Lightweight soles and less structured, unlined uppers "suit the more casual way of dressing we have now and are wearable in warmer climates, yet tend to offend traditional shoemakers," says Little. "There is the idea that a Goodyear-welted shoe should be very solid and shiny, an idea that came out of more formal times of dressing and one that has been passed down through generations of shoemakers. It has been easy for me to say 'let's do it this other way' because I'm from outside the industry."

It has been a creative move that Little remains convinced must eventually be made by all English men's shoemakers using Goodyear welting, if use of the process is to survive. The process may remain valid, but the results expensive. "There are a tiny number of aficionados who understand why Goodyear welted shoes are worth the money, but most men don't get that until they have experienced wearing them, and see that a pair of shoes can still look great after years of wear," says Little. "The fact is that the shoes have to look like they are worth the money. That's what gets men wearing the shoes in the first place."

It is a lesson not lost on the new Grenson, with collections that speak of English shoemaking craftsmanship, but with a lightness of touch, literally and figuratively, to bring it up to date. For example, the new spring/summer range includes unlined calf suede boots with crepe wedge soles, or what Little is calling a "summer brogue", not just with a less heavyweight construction but visually lighter too, with the brogueing underlaid with white leather and the sole hand-painted white as well. And there are suede and leather correspondent shoes in homage to the The Great Gatsby, which is soon to see a new movie version; Grenson made the shoes for Robert Redford in the original.

"The new approach has been possible because we were lucky in that Grenson was hardly selling any shoes, so the brand had not been ruined, so much as just left to die," says Little. "But I had this moment about four months into the job when I thought it was all too much to fix and Grenson was too far gone. You start with the idea that it's 80 per cent OK and you just need to correct 20 per cent of the way things are done. Then you find it's the other way around. It was when I showed our plans to some of the big fashion footwear buyers and they said, 'That's exactly what we've been looking for', that I was persuaded to keep going."

All the way, as it has turned out. During a break from Grenson early this year to allow Little to refocus on his own label, when he served as an adviser to Grenson, Purslow asked him an unexpected question: would Little help him find a buyer for the business?

Little decided he liked the product so much, he would buy the company, with help from the bank and a few investors. With Little now the sole owner, and decision-maker, it offered the opportunity for Grenson to develop further still, even perhaps to provide something of a template for just how other English shoe manufacturers might consider their own futures.

"English shoes are well known to be among the best in the world, and it is a craft that is in danger of being lost," says Little. "But it's all about having a product that's relevant. English shoe manufacturers need to understand design and most don't even have a designer. It's just bizarre.

"I hope Grenson might be an example of the need to have someone who understands design. That doesn't mean making wacky or weird shoes. It does mean realising that, although English shoes may be fashionable at the moment, that is not a trend that can be relied on indefinitely. When fashion changes, the tills will stop ringing unless we're doing something new."

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The%20specs

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Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape

The specs

Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery

Power: 268bhp / 536bhp

Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Max touring range: 620km / 590km

Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)

On sale: Later this year

Chinese Grand Prix schedule (in UAE time)

Friday: First practice - 6am; Second practice - 10am

Saturday: Final practice - 7am; Qualifying - 10am

Sunday: Chinese Grand Prix - 10.10am

On Women's Day

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'

The specs

Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor

Power: 320bhp

Torque: 605Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh219,000

On sale: Now

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Expo details

Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia

The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

It is expected to attract 25 million visits

Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.

More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020

The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area

It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South

Specs

Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)

Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)

Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)

Indoor cricket in a nutshell

Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side

8 There are eight players per team

9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.

5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls

4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership

Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.

Zones

A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs

B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run

C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs

D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full

Director: Jon Favreau

Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

COMPANY%20PROFILE

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MATHC INFO

England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)

New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Company profile

Date started: 2015

Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki

Based: Dubai

Sector: Online grocery delivery

Staff: 200

Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat

The Year Earth Changed

Directed by:Tom Beard

Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough

Stars: 4

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Kumulus Water

Started: 2021

Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid

Based: Tunisia

Sector: Water technology

Number of staff: 22

Investment raised: $4 million

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

RESULTS

5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Makerah, Adrie de Vries, Ernst Oertel

6pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Hazeme, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle

6.30pm: Handicap | Dh85,000 | 2,200m
Winner: AF Yatroq, Brett Doyle, Ernst Oertel

7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap | Dh70,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Nawwaf KB, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi

7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly

BACK%20TO%20ALEXANDRIA

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'Cheb%20Khaled'

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Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')

Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')

Europe’s rearming plan

Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital

Sinopharm vaccine explained

The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.

“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.

"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."

This is then injected into the body.

"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.

"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."

The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.

Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.

“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.