Sale To Wolverine World Wide
In 1997, Karhu sold Merrell to Wolverine World Wide, a giant footwear corporation which manufactured Hush Puppies shoes and Wolverine brand boots. In the year of the Wolverine acquisition, Merrell sales volume totaled $23 million.
Wolverine introduced a new lighter-weight sensibility to the line, beginning with a trail running shoe called the "Jungle Runner." This initial foray into lightweight footwear was not a commercial success, but a team led by Clark Matis came up with the idea of using a very aggressive trail running outsole with a casual slip-on upper made of pigskin suede, a material previously perfected and used extensively in the Hush Puppies line.
The work of Matis' design group culminated with the introduction of what would become the brand's signature shoe, the "Jungle Moc." The new product was a smash success, with total shipments of Jungle Mocs hitting 3.5 million pairs by 2002. The 10 millionth pair of Jungle Mocs was shipped in 2009, with the style continuing in production to the present date.
In 2007, the Merrell line was expanded yet again to include apparel and accessories.
By 2010, Merrell products were being sold in 151 countries. Annual sales for the brand totaled nearly $500 million in 2010.
The company operates 116 of its own concept stores around the world, with another 20 to 25 new stores planned to open in 2011. Merrell has declared that it is aiming for 15% of its sales to come through company stores and e-commerce sometime in the near future.
Read more about this topic: Merrell (company), Company History
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