DON'T be afraid of shoe wars with China, Stuart Paver, the York-based footwear tycoon, told his industry today.

His family's Pavers shop brand, with more than 50 outlets throughout the UK, is the British distributor of top Italian footwear, Fly Flot.

His "fear not" remarks come as many UK retailers who switched to marketing cheaper shoes manufacturerd in China are now worried the European Union will decide on a punitive import tax hike on made-in-China shoes of as much as £15 a pair.

EU shoe manufacturers complain China and Vietnam's practice of leather shoe "dumping" in Europe - exporting them at a lower price than they sell in their home markets - is creating an unfair playing field.

But Mr Paver says he does not fear the relentless march of China's footwear market into Europe, because demand for his Anglo-Italian joint venture has ensured that manufacturing by the 500 employees at brand owner Lones' three Fly Flot factories in and around Verona is at full stretch.

By investing in technology companies can easily compete against the Chinese, he argues.

Mr Paver, a former Evening Press Business Of The Year finalist who also heads up the expanding shoe-shop.com internet empire, said that customers consistently informed him there was cachet attached to the "Made in Italy" label.

He said: "We know that lots of other European shoe manufacturers have switched production to both China and Vietnam, but we see this as an opportunity not a threat."

As a result of the big investment in technology, Lones had greater productivity per employee, advanced design and development processes and delivery times of just a few days.

"Much of what comes out for the Far East is low-grade, using inferior quality materials and manufacturing processes, while Lones continues to use only the best materials and the most modern manufacturing techniques.

"Fly Flot uses a formulation of polyurethane for its sole units, which is one of the key factors in the comfort of their products," said Mr Paver, whose mother, Cathy, founded the family business in Piccadilly, York in 1971.

His chain of stores now literally "walks the walk" with massively increasing sales. In 2000 it sold 100,000 pairs of shoes.

In 2005, it sold 450,000 pairs.

Updated: 10:34 Thursday, January 12, 2006