The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Historically, Lotfy has been a staple on
the Cairo shopping scene. The city-wide branches have always been known as a
reliable source of shoes, especially during early September when crowds rush to
the shops for the annual round of back-to-school shopping.

The Heliopolis branch of Lotfy is one of
the newer ones. Its white brick exterior is actually pretty unique and stylish
looking. The two-level shop keeps its women’s shoes and accessories on the
ground floor, and its men’s footwear on the first floor. There are also
sections for school gear, including children’s shoes and bags on both floors.
The space is large, and the range of products on display takes some time to
browse through.

Despite the huge range of shoes on offer,
the design and styles are only ever slightly different to one another. For those
who don’t know, Lotfy isn’t a brand; just a shop. So the brands that they bring
in to sell through their branches are generally under the same influences of
fads and styles, and are targeting similar markets. Hence, a lot of the shoes
look similar.

In the men’s department, this reviewer was
impressed with the brand Pronto, which makes both casual and formal shoes.
As one of the most expensive ranges in the shop, the Pronto shoes sell for
220LE to 250LE, and are only topped in price by Al Gabas shoes (260LE), which
are apparently made of Italian leather. The Pronto shoes feel sturdy and
strong, and would last a while, even through strenuous wear.

Another range that caught this reviewer’s eye was the
Artwork range of loafers. The square-ended soft shoes come in suede and in leather in
several colours, and sell for 130LE to 150LE. Artwork also has a range of
natural leather casual shoes for between 160LE to 180LE. Unfortunately, some of
them have the word ‘Baretta’ embossed on them, which is the name of the leather
manufacturer.

As mentioned earlier, the shoes are all
very similar, and brands Bebo, Bird Shoes, Golden Triangle and Radar differ
only in very small details. The same applies for the men’s belts, which sell
for 70LE to 100LE, and are available in both casual and formal styles.

The brands that fill the men’s section also
cater to the women’s. For better or for worse, many of the shoes in the women’s
section are actually quite classical in design. Most of the shoes are flats and
sandals, and at the time of this reviewer’s visit, some discounted items were
priced as low as 40LE to 50LE. A range of rather outdated looking bags sell for 80LE
to 90LE, while flip-flops suitable for indoor and outdoor use cost 29LE to 39LE.

We suffered from rather lazy service from
one particularly blunt staff member, but we’ll give Lotfy the benefit of the
doubt; because for anyone who’s looking to pick up a pair of shoes with minimum
fuss or headache, this old Egyptian chain is perfect.