L.L. Bean is adding new manufacturing capacity and making new hires to support surging demand again this year for the classic L.L. Bean boot.
According to the Associated Press, L.L. Bean has leased a 110,000-square-foot facility stocked with a third injection-molding machine to manufacture the rubber soles. It’s also hiring 100 more workers in the new year to make boots.
Annual sales have increased from less than $100,000 a decade ago to more than $600,000 this year. Boot sales are expected to exceed $700,000 next year and $1 million in 2018.
Willie Lambert, Bean’s merchandising manager for footwear, told AP the demand is being driven by high regard for the product as well as nostalgia.
“It’s kind of like ‘everything old is new again,’” Lambert said. “They’re gravitating to the past and anchoring themselves into it.”
L.L. Bean is reportedly putting some styles in certain sizes on backorder on its website, despite the ramped up production and hires. A similar situation of backorders occurred last year, again despite extra hires.
Photo courtesy L.L. Bean
