As part of its international growth strategy to expand the company’s global footprint for all its brands and businesses, Collective Brands, Inc. announced that its Performance + Lifestyle Group (PLG) has signed new agreements aimed at bringing the children’s footwear brand, Stride Rite, and its broad kids brand portfolio to new markets of Indonesia, Thailand and Korea.

As part of the agreement for Korea, the company also has a new wholesale distribution agent in the country for the Sperry Top-Sider and Keds adult and kids brands.

Collective Brands announced today a multi-year licensing and retail development agreement between its PLG unit and MAP ACTIVE, Jakarta, to launch Stride Rite in Indonesia and Thailand.  MAP ACTIVE will open stand-alone Stride Rite retail stores featuring the range of Stride Rite’s children’s brand portfolio including Stride Rite, Robeez for Stride Rite, Saucony Kids, Keds Kids and Sperry Top-Sider Kids, among others.  MAP ACTIVE will also sell the Stride Rite and Robeez by Stride Rite brands through its industry-leading Kidz Station retail stores and its KidzstationDirect.com  website. 

Stride Rite retail stores will open in the Korean market for the first time later this year through a separate multi-year licensing and retail development agreement with new partner Neo Mio Corporation, Seoul.  Under this agreement Neo Mio will open stand-alone Stride Rite stores that will feature the range of premium children’s footwear brands.  Neo Mio will also market and sell Stride Rite and Robeez for Stride Rite through  Stride Rite shop-in-shops and ecommerce throughout the country.  Neo Mio is also the new wholesale partner for Sperry Top-Sider, Sperry Top-Sider Kids, Keds and Keds Kids in Korea and will work to build a strong retail presence for these adult and kids footwear brands in a range of retail settings across Korea.

“As we continue the expansion of our iconic brands and retail concepts across the globe, we aim to team with  leading companies in each country or region and with these partners, MAP ACTIVE and Neo Mio, we have done just that,” said Gregg Ribatt, President and Chief Executive Office of Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group. “We have seen strong global interest for our brands and today’s announcements for Stride Rite, Sperry and Keds across three new markets helps us expand our global footprint to better meet the growing international demand.”