Skechers drops distributor, sets up own shop in Japan

Skechers plans to make a "full-scale" entry into the market starting with the 2012 Autumn/Winter collection. The company plans to open new retail stores and will sell lines such as Skechers Gorun and Skechers Gowalk, as well as its children's range. The launch will be "supported by high-profile marketing campaigns", according to the company. 

It is unclear which agency Skechers is working with in Japan. However Skechers USA worked with LA-based agency Siltanen & Partners on its recent Superbowl 2012 ad.

The new office will be headed by Skechers Japan representative director and country manager Hirokazu Iwasaki, who joins from Puma Japan, where he was group head of its lifestyle and retail units. Iwasaki has also worked with adidas and Gap in Japan. 

The company has further signed an agreement with Osaka-based distribution partner SSK Corporation to oversee nationwide independents. 

"Japan has historically been one of our biggest distribution outlets, so we have a clear sense of the potential for our brand in this country," said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. "Our new subsidiary's goal is simple and specific: to employ all the strategies that have made us a billion-dollar brand around the world, and to tailor them in every way that will excite, educate and build demand."

International business (outside the US) currently comprises 30 per cent of Skechers' total sales.