Quality Is In The Sole For This Footwear Company

There’s no business like shoe business for this company that operates both a retail segment and private label brand operation. The retail side runs over 1,045 value- priced family footwear stores in the US and Guam, 159 other stores in the US and Canada selling natural comfort style shoes, and a growing number of shoe stores in China. The company also sells shoes online and licenses two major name brand footwear product lines. Its footwear manufacturing operation sells to consumers worldwide through more than 1,700 retailers, including independent, chain, department stores, catalogs, and online retailers. The company has a growing footprint in China. Started in 1878, this company’s brands are recognized globally for crafting the perfect shoe.

THE CHALLENGE

The company has sourcing and product development offices in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Italy, Ethiopia, and the US (St. Louis and New York). During a period when the company was in the process of diversifying its mainly Chinese sourcing base to other Asian countries, its leadership set objectives to improve product quality. A new QA program was launched in 2016 and called the “Five Star QA” program.