 Danish footwear brand, Ecco, kicks off its month-long celebration of 50 years of shoemaking with special in-store displays, a Facebook sweepstakes, and historical storytelling through the brand’s Tumblr blog throughout the month of April. Founded in 1963, Ecco has produced more than 350 million pairs of shoes globally. Each pair of Ecco shoes is touched by 210 pairs of hands...
...before they reach the consumer – a unique value proposition of the brand that is one of the only vertically integrated footwear brands in the world. Through owning and managing every step of the shoemaking process — from tanneries to stores — Ecco can thoroughly provide quality assurance and control of its products. “We are shoemakers at heart and with over 4,000 branded sales locations in more than 90 countries we are, of course, also a large retailer,” said chief operating officer, Michael Hauge Sørensen. “This is a business model that provides Ecco with two strong platforms in our quest to become the best shoe company in the world. While never compromising on quality shoemaking, we increasingly turn our attention to consumer demands and needs.”
As the world’s second largest lifestyle footwear manufacturer, Ecco is staying ahead of the competition by turning to its Scandinavian heritage for innovative design and modernization of its collections. Strong product performance and consumer demand has led the brand to its second-consecutive record-breaking year.
“We see the changes around us every day and recognize that Ecco has inherited an obligation to stay competitive and innovative,” said Sørensen. “2012 became an exceptionally good year for Ecco, secured by an extraordinary effort by the entire global team along with solid market performance by many successful products.”
For more information on ECCO and to celebrate in 50 years of passionate shoemaking, visit: http://passion.ecco.com and www.facebook.com/eccousa 
ECCO HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS
1963, the company was founded by Danish shoemaker Karl Toosbuy
1984, first fully owned factory established in Portugal
1990, establishes ECCO USA – later to grow into the single largest market
1991, builds a factory in Indonesia. The site includes both production and a tannery and today is the largest production unit with more than 5,500 employees
1993, demand rises and ECCO builds a factory and tannery in Thailand
1996, first flagship store opens on the famous Oxford Street in London
1996, enters the golf shoe market – today the fourth biggest producer of golf shoes
1998, opens factory in Slovakia
2002, ECCO goes to Asia
2005, production is established in Xiamen, China
2008, builds a tannery alongside the shoe factory in Xiamen
2011, celebrates 1,000th store opening at Mall of America, Minneapolis, USA
2013, celebrates five decades of shoes with its 50th Anniversary 
(02/05/2013) |
