INTERVIEW In conversation with…
“Walk in comfort, wear with style” – the tagline of one of the biggest footwear brands in the industry. And this year Rieker is celebrating 150 years in business! It’s safe to say it knows a thing or two about blending fashionable styles with comfort and practicality. Here, Footwear Today chats to Chris Gorrod, Managing Director of Brevitt-Rieker.
R
ieker was founded in 1874 in the Black Forest region in Germany and originally produced shoes for the affluent citizens of Italy. The company soon gained a reputation for quality and style and over its 150 year history it has built itself into a household name across Europe. Family-owned and operated for five generations, the brand’s commitment to quality and style has ensured its longevity, growth and success. Rieker currently produces
Q&A
Q: What makes a Rieker shoe? Chris Gorrod: Rieker shoes are not just fashionable products. The special properties incorporated into all articles make them more. Specially manufactured lasts, functional designs and high-quality materials turn every model into an “anti-stress” shoe. The “anti-stress” features mean each shoe is lighter, more flexible and offers more space and shock absorption. This technology is unique to Rieker, and to maintain the integrity of its special construction, together with the flexibility to respond quickly to fashion trends, virtually everything we sell is made
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by us and as you can imagine we keep a very close eye on production to ensure quality is consistent throughout.
Q: How are you growing the Rieker brand in the UK market? CG: Rieker will, as it has done over many years, be constantly looking at the market and developing ranges that we hope are commercial. This philosophy has worked over many years now and we see no reason to stop working hard in this area.
We talk to our customers, we analyse
data and we look at what is selling in the marketplace. From there we develop ranges that we believe will work in the relevant countries around the world. We very much pride ourselves on high sell through of our product and this is the benchmark we give ourselves each and every year.
Rieker is also investing more in advertising to drive exposure for both the Rieker and Remonte brands, with our advertising budget in the UK basically doubling from previous years! We have produced a TV advert for the past five years and together with more investment in all
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23 million pairs of shoes a year, from four company-owned production facilities in Eastern Europe, North Africa and Vietnam, and it employs 22,000 people worldwide. This year the company is celebrating a huge milestone of 150 years in the footwear business! To celebrate this it has launched a scratch-card promotion for both SS24 and AW24 to give away more than €1.4 million in prizes worldwide to both end consumers and also to its wholesale customers!
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