Wolverine Worldwide (WWW) CEO Chris Hufnagel said this week that the company continues to believe that Saucony is uniquely positioned as a disruptive challenger brand at the intersection of Performance Running and Lifestyle Running, which he said were two of the fastest growing categories in the market. That observation came on a conference call with analysts on Thursday, August 13 after WWW reported its second quarter results, and highlighting that Merrell and Saucony continued to lead the way for the company while representing approximately two-thirds of the WWW business.
Saucony revenue reportedly increased 9.9 percent, or 9.0 percent growth in constant-currency (CC) terms, to $158.6 million in the second quarter, building on top of 40 percent growth in the second quarter last year. The increase was said to be driven by growth in both Wholesale and direct-to-consumer (DTC).
Wholesale growth was said to be led by international markets along with continued gains in the U.S.
Hufnagel said Saucony continues to build momentum across both Performance and Lifestyle categories around the world, supported by ongoing marketing investments and new products that are resonating with consumers.
“Saucony’s key city focus, which started in London a few years ago, continued to help fuel strong brand heat, consumer demand, and revenue growth, particularly in Europe,” Hufnagel continued. “In London, the brand held one of its own Maze Run Club races earlier this year, once again sponsored the London 10K last month, and plans to sponsor the Run Shoreditch Half Marathon this fall. In addition, Saucony has expanded its key city strategy to Berlin with sponsorship of the Berlin 10K a couple of months ago and a broader activation plan underway, and then to Paris with a Maze race back in February and plans for a host of activations, a new pioneer store, and title sponsorship of the Eiffel Tower 10K.”
Saucony’s brand search interest was said to be “up meaningfully year-over-year” in the first quarter globally, with even faster growth in the UK.
“This past quarter, the search interest growth rate accelerated by almost 2x globally and more than tripled in the UK, and France grew at an even significantly faster pace,” Hufnagel shared. “Sell-through trends in the EMEA region are also very strong, creating a healthy pull dynamic, which we are actively managing to cultivate sustainable growth, focusing on disciplined distribution and segmentation strategies.”
Hufnagel went on to say that the positive results in the EMEA region has resulted in the brand’s distribution partners around the world adopting parts of the Key City playbook.
“Our latest Saucony store opened in Hong Kong in the second quarter, and there are already plans to activate in Istanbul and Bangkok this year with race sponsorship and Maze events, a store opening, and community activations on tap,” the CEO said.
In the Performance Running category, Hufnagel said Saucony gained market share at U.S. run specialty in the quarter and showed well in major marathons this spring, ranking in the Top 5 most worn brands at Boston and London, and “notably second among women at the Boston Marathon.”
“With the brand’s Endorphin collection, its pinnacle offering for elite runners, Saucony launched a new version of its most innovative shoe, the Endorphin Elite 3, and plans to launch an all-new Endorphin model in 2027 that we believe will further elevate innovation performance for serious runners,” the CEO detailed. “In Saucony’s Core 4 franchises, which are targeted towards a more casual runner, the brand introduced the new Triumph 24 and Hurricane 26 in the last couple of months, and they are driving franchise growth on saucony.com in early selling with positive feedback from our Wholesale partners.”
He said Saucony also continues to fuel brand heat in its Lifestyle business with compelling styles and thoughtfully selected collaborators who are helping develop the brand’s relevance on several different dimensions.
“In the second quarter, the brand dropped collaborations with Estudio Niksen, Greyson, two with Engineered Garments, and Minted New York, the last of which was launched in an event hosted at our Covent Garden Pioneer Store in London, generating exceptional brand energy,” Hufnagel explained. “Earlier this month the brand plans to drop a highly anticipated collaboration with Westside Gunn, building on a partnership that continues to strengthen the brand’s credibility in streetwear and culture. In June, Saucony launched the Ride 1 as part of its extensive Paris Fashion Week presence, including a host of activations with influential collaborators, retailers, and consumers. The brand also introduced the Kinvara 1 and ProGrid Paramount in top of the pyramid distribution, while the ProGrid Omni 9 continued to drive growth globally.”
The CEO said they anticipate second half lifestyle doors to be approximately flat to first half, but no change from what was published in February.
Looking ahead, Hufnagel said the brand continues to develop its Lifestyle strategy, “leveraging its deep and diverse product archive, developing sharpness behind streetwear and fashion, and thoughtfully cultivating greater relevance with women as well as men.”
“Finally, as we think about realizing Saucony’s full potential, I believe that should include becoming a true head-to-toe run lifestyle brand,” he teased. “In close partnership with our Sweaty Betty product design and development team, we’re developing a capsule apparel collection designed specifically for her that we plan to drop in our stores and online early next year. I’m excited for this test and leveraging the collective power of the company and what this opportunity could mean longer term for the Saucony brand.”
He said the brand’s momentum remains strong and WWW was raising its outlook for the brand to mid-teens growth for the year, which is at the high end of the prior guide for low- to mid-teens growth.
“I think the important thing to note about Saucony is it really is a global growth story,” Hufnagel remarked is response to a question regarding confidence in the increased outlook. “It is not just a U.S. sector growth story. So [we are] really pleased by the progress we’re seeing really around the world. The way our partners are leaning in and the receptance that we’ve seen to both Performance run and the Lifestyle. So we remain bullish on Saucony and I think the prospects for the brand remain bright.”
“I continue to believe that Saucony is well positioned and that the opportunity for the brand remains significant,” the CEO said.
“I know we focus a lot on the U.S. business, but I think it’s important to say that Saucony is a global growth story, which is why I’m glad I got the earlier question about Europe,” he responded to one analyst. “The progress that we’re seeing over there. So it is broad-based and I would say, point to the diversification of Saucony’s growth beyond one category, beyond one channel, the fact that we can grow Performance run, the fact that we grow Lifestyle, the fact that we can grow globally, the fact that we grow DTC and Wholesale. I think that diversification is part of the brand growth story beyond just a few styles in a specific channel. So we remain optimistic about the potential for Saucony. We think it remains great, and it’s our job to go chase that growth responsibly.”
But Hufnagel also acknowledged where the brand sits compared to the growth and volume produced by other brands in the running category. Brooks, Asics, and On all reported strong double-digit growth on a global basis this week, so one participant asked how WWW could set Saucony apart.
“Even with the great performance of the Saucony team over the last handful of years, ’25 being a record year, we still view ourselves as a small challenger brand in a very attractive category,” Hufnagel responded. “And that gives us both optimism and drive to go be bigger and better. And I think Saucony possesses some amazing attributes. A century old brand, one of the OGs, known for innovation, loved by serious elite runners. Known for bringing great products to market. At the same time has been able to tap into the intersection of Performance run and Lifestyle culture in a very special way and doing it in a very sort of unique way in an authentic way.”
Image courtesy Saucony/Wolverine Worldwide
