Oboz Footwear will enter the Japanese market this fall in partnership with Itochu Textile, which put Keen into 1,000 stores in the country in nine years.



Itochu Textile is one of six segments operated by Itochu Corp, a Japanese trading company that has interests in everything from minerals and energy to forest products insurance and real estate. The company forecast Feb. 2 that it expects Itochu Textile to generate gross trading profits of $1.35 billion in the fiscal year ending March 31.

 

 

Itochu Textile has been expanding its portfolio of athletic, outdoor and lifestyle brands in recent years through a brand marketing divisions that also distributes Converse and Marmot in Japan. In 2012, the segment acquired trademark rights for the Australian compression clothing brand Skins in six regions in Asia as well as rights to the Outdoor Product and Penfield brands throughout various parts of Asia, the Middle East and South America.
“ITOCHU will be a very strong partner, as they have excellent experience in distributing outdoor footwear and have the relationships throughout Japan to ensure that Oboz will become successful,” said Oboz President and Founder John Connelly.

 

Connelly said he had not planned on entering Japan until spring 2015, but was approached by Itochu at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market last year and visited its offices in Tokyo a month later.

 

“They had seen us at REI, EMS and MEC and liked our story, our fit and that we plant a tree for every pair we sell,” Connelly told The B.O.S.S. Report. “Knowing they did Marmot and had done Keen for nine years, it seemed like a good match to me.   I had been working on getting distribution started in the U.K. and had planned to look to Japan for Spring 15 but serendipity struck and we'll be there a month before the U.K.”

 

Itochu is currently showing Oboz products to retail buyers in the outdoor specialty, clothing specialty and sporting goods channels and getting very positive feedback, according to Masaaki Wada, who will manage Oboz’ distribution in Japan for Itochu Textile.

 

“People say the fit is very good and they can see Oboz’ strengths in its technical design and construction,” said Wada. “They recognize that Oboz footwear is designed and built by outdoor enthusiasts.”

 

 

Oboz, which was founded in Bozeman, MT in 2008, is already distributed in Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Australia, New Zealand, and starting in fall 2014, the United Kingdom.