COMPANY PROFILE
Cheryl Taylor, Editor, talks to Angie Callaway, Global Retail Director, Crocs Inc.
After expanding rapidly and reaching an all time high in 2007 However
What’s the story behind the brand? Crocs, Inc. was founded by three friends Scott Seamans, Lyndon "Duke" Hanson, and George Boedecker, Jr. Together they produced and distributed foam clog design acquired from a Quebec company called Foam Creations. The idea came up while they were sailing through the Caribbean. In their luggage: a pair of Canadian clogs and the fixed idea of making a practical boating shoe out of plastic sneakers. It was the perfect boat shoe – colorful, non-marking, lightweight and it even floated. When they returned they sold 1000 pairs in just a few hours at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. At this point they knew they were on to something big.
How did Crocs management turn around the company’s fortunes after 2009? The company experienced growth at a magnitude that is unprecedented in the footwear industry. After the challenges in 2008/09 we’ve started a solid evolution into new wearing occasions and seasons through the creation of new shoes silhouettes. At this point Crocs counts with a portfolio of more than 300 global styles and our iconic clog only accounts for 50% of our sales. Diversification was the key.
T ell us about your new styles and how these products have evolved?
Crocs has several distinct collections encompassing more than 300 styles, including sandals, boots, heels, wedges, flats, sneakers and of course our signature clogs. We offer colorful, lightweight comfort for any occasion and every season. All shoes enjoy exceptional form and function while meeting the new trends in the market. Why compromise on style to be comfortable when you can have both?
How do you market your products now? Do you use social networking? We’re taking a more collections-based approach, which allows us to leverage our most successful styles and help the consumer understand the genesis of the product in the long run (telling a story over multiple years vs. just a one- off style approach). To mark its 10th anniversary, we will be embarking on an advertising campaign that highlights new styles while paying homage to the original. Crocs inside campaign is the campaign that was introduced this Spring and will be available for the upcoming years. We want the consumer to understand that everything that was unique about the clog and the DNA of that Croslite ™ material is in everything that we do.
32 • FOOTWEAR TODAY • AUGUST 2012 , Crocs faced huge financial problems in 2008 and 2009. , the company is firmly now back on track in time for its 10th Anniversary. Crocs is no longer all about rubbery
shoes with holes, it has diversified its offering to 300 different styles, based on its comfortable Croslite material, with a wide range of variations from sandals to walking shoes, boots and even high heels, including leather and fabric.
How many pairs of Crocs did you sell last year? How important is the original clog these days? What percentage of the business does the clog represent? Globally and so far Crocs sold more than 200 million pairs of shoes. The classic silhouette represents currently less than of our 50% sales.
T
ell us about your store organisation? Our newest concept in Bluewater shows clearly our direction towards a new and improved retail experience. The materials pallet was inspired by our heritage around and near water. The use of natural soft textures allows for a juxtaposition against our croslite material. The store leads with our new women’s collections focused around new stylish flats and wedges all with the crocs DNA. We use different merchandising displays to showcase our new arrivals flowing into or core products. Mid section of the floor we have men’s followed by kid’s all leading toward an focal iconic clog wall, showcasing our history and heritage. With this new concept we want to create a good balance between serving the client that comes for our traditional styles but also allow them the opportunity to try the new styles in new seating areas.
How many stores does Crocs have around worldwide/in Europe/UK? How people do you have working for you? Crocs has 11 owned stores in the UK, 38 owned stores in Europe and 439 owned stores globally. In Europe the brand counts also with 97 franchise locations and 561 globally.
Any famous Crocs customers? Since its start Crocs has been catching the attention of celebrities like Al Pacino, Brooke Shields, Jake Gyllenhaal, Faith Hill, Jack Nicholson, Teri Hatcher and more recently Brad Pitt or Halle Berry couldn’t resist the feel good sensation.
What’s next? Any plans for the future, new stores, products etc? We will continue to evolve to new styles, new wearing occasions and a retail experience that matches this new positioning.
www.crocs.co.uk
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