Basic HTML Version
Olympics, which will feature a number of
Saucony-sponsored athletes, including US
triathlon team members Gwen Jorgensen,
Sarah Groff and Laura Bennett.
Better-grade children’s shoes
With regard to Stride Rite, Blake Krueger is
of the opinion that its “leading position in the
better-grade children’s category” in the US is
something Wolverine can take to the wider world,
enabling it to develop what will be for it a new retail
format. “The addition of Stride Rite will fill a need that we’ve
had for many years,” he says. “While we’ve had pockets of
success with children’s footwear, we have not historically been
a strong player in this category. Stride Rite offers us the
opportunity to leapfrog and emerge as a market leader,
especially in the US.”
However, his opinion is that Stride Rite already has a
tremendous reputation with mothers. He thinks Wolverine will
be able to spread this high regard for the brand around the
world, through the wholesale and the retail channels. He also
lobs up the interesting proposition of Wolverine using the
network of more than 300 retail stores that Stride Rite has in
order to expand the presence of the group’s other brands in the
children’s footwear market, with other brands’ children’s shoes
in Stride Rite stores and Stride Shoes in other outlets in the
broader Wolverine retail set-up. Seven of the brands in the
newly expanded portfolio will have shoes for the pre-crawler to
pre-teen segment.
Finally, regarding the Keds brand of casual shoes with
canvas uppers and rubber souls, Blake Krueger says it has the
heritage and authenticity Wolverine values so highly, but
believes the size of the business is a less-than-fair reflection
of the brand recognition that the Keds name enjoys. “As
everyone knows, vulcanised footwear is a very sizeable space
in the global footwear market,” he observes. “Keds has a new
management team that has developed a plan to take
advantage of this and of the deep heritage and brand
acceptance that Keds has.”
11
THE GAME CHANGES
MAY/JUNE 2012 | www.footwearbiz.com
Sperry Top-Sider is a brand that’s on fire, according to
Wolverine Worldwide chief executive, Blake Krueger.
CREDIT: SPERRY TOP-SIDER