Rocky Brands, Inc. was tapped by Michelin Footwear to produce, market and distribute a line of footwear in North America under the Michelin brand name.
Michelin Footwear, a division of Gear Six, LLC, headquartered in Salem, MA, which holds the worldwide licensing rights for Michelin footwear, has been distributing a line of safety footwear in the United States since 2004. Michelin Group is the world’s number one tire maker and offers one of the leading travel assistance services with travel maps & road atlas guides and their world famous restaurant guides. With their recently launched brand extension program, Michelin offers a wide range of lifestyle products developed for consumer markets worldwide. Michelin operates in over 170 countries and reported revenues of just under $20 billion in fiscal 2005.
Tom Costin, CEO of Michelin Footwear, said, “Michelin’s mission is to contribute to the progress of people’s mobility and footwear is an important part of getting people from one place to another. Michelin’s core values of comfort, dependability, durability, innovation, performance, quality and safety are as much a part of producing footwear as tires. Rocky Brands adheres to these same core values and we are all excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.”
Mike Brooks, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Rocky Brands, Inc. stated “Michelin is one of the most recognizable and well respected brand names in the world and is known for its long lasting, high traction, rubber tires that emphasize safety and comfort. We believe that with our history of producing top quality, innovative footwear, coupled with our strong operating platform and sourcing capabilities, we can develop a line of footwear products that echo Michelin’s standard of excellence.”
“This agreement underscores our commitment to expanding our market share and we are very excited about the many potential opportunities for this business,” continued Mr. Brooks. “Our goal is to augment and increase the existing work and safety product and distribute it through our Lehigh retail channel, as well as target our broad network of retail accounts in North America. Even more compelling, we plan to introduce an adventure-performance category under the Michelin name in order to provide entree into the outdoor recreational footwear market, which includes hiking, camping and mountaineering among other activities. Michelin is a great addition to our powerful portfolio of leading brands and we are committed to taking advantage of the many long-term prospects we believe exist for each of them.”
