Stride Rite Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Stride Rite Corporation is a marketer of children's footwear
in the United States and is a major marketer of athletic and casual footwear for children and adults. In addition to the Stride Rite brand, the company markets footwear under the following owned or licensed brands: Keds, Grasshoppers, Robeez
, Saucony
, Hind, Sperry Top-Sider
, Tommy Hilfiger
, and Jessica Simpson Kids.
The Company is a wholesaler of footwear, selling in department store
s, independent shoe stores, value retailers, and specialty stores. They market products in countries outside the United States and Canada through independent distributors and licensees. Stride Rite also has company-owned children's booteries that carry children's Stride Rite and other company owned children's brands. The Company imports most all of its products from independent resources in the Far East which manufacture footwear according to each brand's specifications and quality standards.
, Massachusetts
in 1919, as the Green Shoe Manufacturing Company (“Green Shoe”). Green Shoe became a public company
in 1960 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange
. It adopted the Stride Rite Corporation name in 1966 in recognition of its well respected brand name. The name was purchased from another shoe manufacturer in 1933. Stride Rite’s first retail store was opened in 1972.
The Sperry Top-Sider
and Keds brand names were purchased from Uniroyal in 1979. Stride Rite purchased Toddler University in 1994. During 2005 Stride Rite completed its acquisition of Saucony
and in 2006 Stride Rite purchased Robeez
.
In 2007, Payless ShoeSource
of Topeka, Kansas
acquired Stride Rite. On August 16, 2007, the company changed its name to Collective Brands, Inc.
By 2009, it was announced that Stride Rite would operate under the further-revised name of Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group.
s, clustered generally in the major marketing areas of the U.S. The average size of a Stride Rite retail children’s store is approximately 1700 square feet (157.9 m²). Stride Rite outlet store
s average approximately 2800 square feet (260.1 m²) because outlet stores carry a broad range of footwear for adults in addition to children’s footwear. Most outlet stores are located in shopping centers consisting only of outlet stores. At the end of 2007, each Stride Rite retail store carried on average approximately 8,900 pairs of shoes. By including materially remodeled stores in our calculation as new stores, Stride Rite retail segment stores were on average approximately nine years old at the end of 2007.
The number of retail stores by type for the Stride Rite Retail segment is represented in the table below.
Footwear
Footwear consists of garments worn on the feet, for fashion, protection against the environment, and adornment. Being barefoot is commonly associated with poverty, but some cultures chose not to wear footwear at least in some situations....
in the United States and is a major marketer of athletic and casual footwear for children and adults. In addition to the Stride Rite brand, the company markets footwear under the following owned or licensed brands: Keds, Grasshoppers, Robeez
Robeez
Robeez Footwear is a soft-soled baby shoe company that manufactures over 70 different children shoe designs. Robeez is headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada and is a division of Stride Rite Corp.-Origins and history:...
, Saucony
Saucony
Saucony is an American manufacturer of athletic shoes, best-known today for its premium running shoes and men's and women's apparel.-History:...
, Hind, Sperry Top-Sider
Sperry Top-Sider
Sperry Top-Sider is the original brand of boat shoe designed in 1935 by Paul Sperry, older brother of author/illustrator Armstrong Sperry. The Top-Siders were the first boat shoes introduced into the boating market.-History:...
, Tommy Hilfiger
Tommy Hilfiger Corporation
Tommy Hilfiger Corporation is an American company which is incorporated in Hong Kong.In 1989, a Hong Kong businessman Silas Chou acquired Tommy Hilfiger Corporation via Sportswear Holdings Limited, along with his partner Lawrence Stroll. Chou served as Chairman and then Co-Chairman from 1989 to...
, and Jessica Simpson Kids.
The Company is a wholesaler of footwear, selling in department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
s, independent shoe stores, value retailers, and specialty stores. They market products in countries outside the United States and Canada through independent distributors and licensees. Stride Rite also has company-owned children's booteries that carry children's Stride Rite and other company owned children's brands. The Company imports most all of its products from independent resources in the Far East which manufacture footwear according to each brand's specifications and quality standards.
History
Stride Rite was founded in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1919, as the Green Shoe Manufacturing Company (“Green Shoe”). Green Shoe became a public company
Public company
This is not the same as a Government-owned corporation.A public company or publicly traded company is a limited liability company that offers its securities for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, or through market makers operating in over the counter markets...
in 1960 and was listed on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
. It adopted the Stride Rite Corporation name in 1966 in recognition of its well respected brand name. The name was purchased from another shoe manufacturer in 1933. Stride Rite’s first retail store was opened in 1972.
The Sperry Top-Sider
Sperry Top-Sider
Sperry Top-Sider is the original brand of boat shoe designed in 1935 by Paul Sperry, older brother of author/illustrator Armstrong Sperry. The Top-Siders were the first boat shoes introduced into the boating market.-History:...
and Keds brand names were purchased from Uniroyal in 1979. Stride Rite purchased Toddler University in 1994. During 2005 Stride Rite completed its acquisition of Saucony
Saucony
Saucony is an American manufacturer of athletic shoes, best-known today for its premium running shoes and men's and women's apparel.-History:...
and in 2006 Stride Rite purchased Robeez
Robeez
Robeez Footwear is a soft-soled baby shoe company that manufactures over 70 different children shoe designs. Robeez is headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada and is a division of Stride Rite Corp.-Origins and history:...
.
In 2007, Payless ShoeSource
Payless ShoeSource
Payless ShoeSource is a discount footwear retailer founded in Topeka, Kansas in 1956 that is owned by Collective Brands, Inc. In 1961, it became a public company as the Volume Shoe Corporation which merged with the May Department Stores Company in 1979. In the 1980s, Payless was widely known in the...
of Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
acquired Stride Rite. On August 16, 2007, the company changed its name to Collective Brands, Inc.
By 2009, it was announced that Stride Rite would operate under the further-revised name of Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group.
Stride Rite retail
Stride Rite retail children’s stores are located primarily in larger regional shopping centerShopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
s, clustered generally in the major marketing areas of the U.S. The average size of a Stride Rite retail children’s store is approximately 1700 square feet (157.9 m²). Stride Rite outlet store
Outlet store
An outlet store or factory outlet is a brick and mortar or online retail store in which manufacturers sell their stock directly to the public. Traditionally, a factory outlet was a store attached to a factory or warehouse, sometimes allowing customers to watch the production process like in the...
s average approximately 2800 square feet (260.1 m²) because outlet stores carry a broad range of footwear for adults in addition to children’s footwear. Most outlet stores are located in shopping centers consisting only of outlet stores. At the end of 2007, each Stride Rite retail store carried on average approximately 8,900 pairs of shoes. By including materially remodeled stores in our calculation as new stores, Stride Rite retail segment stores were on average approximately nine years old at the end of 2007.
The number of retail stores by type for the Stride Rite Retail segment is represented in the table below.
| Stride Rite children's stores | Outlet stores | Leased children's shoe departments | Total Stride Rite retail stores |
|---|---|---|---|
| 231 | 102 | 7 (at Macy's Macy's Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States... ) |
340 |