Canadian Retailer - The Supply Chain & Logistics Issue - 45

NEVER HEARD OF ECCO?
ECCO is a family-owned leather goods brand, headquartered
and founded in Denmark in 1963. The company operates
1,200 stores globally and focuses on providing dynamic comfort using premium materials. The store ensures quality product in its leather goods-including its footwear, the product
for which this store is best known-by manufacturing leather
at its own tannery. The store manufactures its footwear in
factories it owns and operates. Among the key differentiators
in its shoes is a technology called direct injection, where the
brand can mold a foot bed to the shape of a customer's foot.
That foot bed connects to the leather upper to become one
piece. There is no bonding, apart from the bond holding the
upper and the sole unit together. "This unique manufacturing
allows us to offer unparalleled comfort for our consumers,"
says Searle. The store reaches its customers via ECCOowned and operated stores, through wholesale distribution,
which is concept-driven with branded fixtures in multi-brand
environments, and online through its e-commerce sites.

"We have a very loyal customer base here in Canada, and
our customers see the value that our products hold," he says.
The company's brand story has unique appeal, too, one that
customers don't readily encounter in the Canadian marketplace. ECCO has been a vertical retailer since its founding,
and the focus on quality product that first garnered customer
interest remains the company's priority.
"We are manufacturers, we are shoemakers, and we are also
shoe retailers, but we are true to the heritage of our product.
I think that resonates very much with consumers in this day
and age who want a credible brand story," says Searle.
He also says the company's desire to deliver "dynamic comfort" will help the brand expand successfully into new Canadian markets. Dynamic comfort is a company phrase for
shoes that deliver comfort in any situation without jeopardizing style-something front of mind for today's consumers.
"Consumers want honest products, they want credible products, and they want to be able to get those products in the
most compelling ways," says Searle.
What is compelling is what ECCO wants to deliver through
brick-and-mortar stores: a good experience and fast service. "And
I think in-store environments allow us to do that," says Searle.
The 2020 vision

The future is dreamed about but never fixed. The vision for
ECCO in 2020 looks good, according to Searle. He sees the
brand doing more of what it does best in more places-delivering
"a good, credible product." He wants to see a developed leather
goods business and improved visibility of the brand among outdoor retailers. The vision has branded retail and a robust wholesale footprint in Canada, something ECCO has worked hard to
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develop over the years.
"Wholesale is very important and
many independent retailers do a good
job of representing us. We hope to
continue our partnership with those
retailers," says Searle.
The vision of 2020 has another feature for ECCO. Searle says that he'd
like to see the store "fully omni-ed."
ECCO does not yet have an omnichannel strategy (Searle says he expects to have one by next year) and
has yet to leverage the interactive potential of POS displays. However, the
company is working hard to create a
seamless experience for customers,
whether they've encountered ECCO
digitally or visited one of the new
physical locations.
In every effort-from channel-making to product segmentation-ECCO
plans on telling more Canadian consumers the ECCO brand story.
"It's a rich story," Searle says. "That's
why we are putting all of our focus on
it right now."

THE SUPPLY CHAIN & LOGISTICS ISSUE

| CANADIAN RETAILER | 45

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