Allen Edmonds
Encyclopedia
Allen Edmonds is a shoe manufacturing and retail company based in Port Washington, Wisconsin
. The company was established in Belgium, Wisconsin
in 1922. Allen Edmonds operates 32 retail stores in 17 states. It manufactures the vast majority of its shoes in the United States
and several pairs in Italy
, and is thus one of two American shoe companies, the other being Alden
, that still make men's dress shoes domestically. The company delivers three lines of men's shoes, including dress shoes, dress casual shoes, and, since 2006, a collection of Casual Comfort shoes, which are rubber-soled leather shoes with athletic styling.
In 2006, 90% of the shares in the company were bought by Minneapolis-based investment firm Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison for $100 million.
Allen Edmonds are an expensive brand of shoes that people typically wear for a very long time and repair rather than replace. The company offers recrafting services, rebuilding a pair of shoes for a fee, replacing soles and heels, creating a new cork base and strip, and reapplying the finish.
Allen Edmonds pays their workers well, which puts them at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace. Wages, benefits, government regulations of the workplace, emissions permits, taxes, and healthcare costs are all significant costs that could be drastically reduced by locating production overseas in a developing country
. Stollenwerk remarked that moving the operation to China
could save as much as 60%, but expressed concern that such a move could lead to a decline in quality. He has also expressed concerns about social problems brought on by Globalization
, such as low wages and factory closings in the U.S.
In October 2007, Allen Edmonds was one of two currently operating shoemakers participating in a reunion of shoemakers at an exhibit in the Lewiston
-Auburn
, Maine area.
Currently the production of the shoe uppers are made in the Dominican Republic due to lack of shoe sewers in the United States. The uppers are imported to the factories in Lewiston, ME and Port Washington, WI where they are assembled with other shoe parts, thus allowing them to be considered "Made in the USA."
Port Washington, Wisconsin
Port Washington is the county seat of Ozaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is about 25 miles north of Milwaukee and 110 miles north of Chicago. In the 2000 census Port Washington had a population of 10,467...
. The company was established in Belgium, Wisconsin
Belgium, Wisconsin
Belgium is a village located in the Town of Belgium in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,678 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in 1922. Allen Edmonds operates 32 retail stores in 17 states. It manufactures the vast majority of its shoes in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and several pairs in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and is thus one of two American shoe companies, the other being Alden
Alden Shoe Company
The Alden Shoe Company is a shoe company founded in 1884 by Charles H. Alden in Middleborough, Massachusetts. Aldens specializes in handcrafted mens leather boots and dress shoes, such as Oxfords, Blüchers, loafers, and Chukka boots....
, that still make men's dress shoes domestically. The company delivers three lines of men's shoes, including dress shoes, dress casual shoes, and, since 2006, a collection of Casual Comfort shoes, which are rubber-soled leather shoes with athletic styling.
In 2006, 90% of the shares in the company were bought by Minneapolis-based investment firm Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison for $100 million.
Brand loyalty
Allen Edmonds gained much of its following after providing shoes to the Army and Navy during World War II, with many of the recipients of the shoes being loyal to the brand for the rest of their lives.Allen Edmonds are an expensive brand of shoes that people typically wear for a very long time and repair rather than replace. The company offers recrafting services, rebuilding a pair of shoes for a fee, replacing soles and heels, creating a new cork base and strip, and reapplying the finish.
American manufacturing
With about 98.5% of shoes sold in the U.S. produced overseas, Allen Edmonds is in a small minority of companies continuing to produce the majority of their shoes domestically. The owner, John Stollenwerk, has expressed a commitment to keep his factory in the U.S. In 2003, the company invested $1 million or 1.1% of the company's sales in a refitting of their factory intended to save 5% on the cost to produce each shoe. The factory has replaced assembly lines with teams of people working in groups where each employee does several different jobs. This new system reduces overtime, makes it easier to fill in for absent employees, reduces the time spent picking up and putting down shoes, and cuts down on the number of spoiled shoes.Allen Edmonds pays their workers well, which puts them at a competitive disadvantage in the marketplace. Wages, benefits, government regulations of the workplace, emissions permits, taxes, and healthcare costs are all significant costs that could be drastically reduced by locating production overseas in a developing country
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
. Stollenwerk remarked that moving the operation to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
could save as much as 60%, but expressed concern that such a move could lead to a decline in quality. He has also expressed concerns about social problems brought on by Globalization
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
, such as low wages and factory closings in the U.S.
In October 2007, Allen Edmonds was one of two currently operating shoemakers participating in a reunion of shoemakers at an exhibit in the Lewiston
Lewiston, Maine
Lewiston is a city in Androscoggin County in Maine, and the second-largest city in the state. The population was 41,592 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included within the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine...
-Auburn
Auburn, Maine
Auburn is a city in and the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 23,055 at the 2010 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan...
, Maine area.
Currently the production of the shoe uppers are made in the Dominican Republic due to lack of shoe sewers in the United States. The uppers are imported to the factories in Lewiston, ME and Port Washington, WI where they are assembled with other shoe parts, thus allowing them to be considered "Made in the USA."