Lew Footwear Holdings, an arm of Solomon Lew's expansive retail empire, has been appointed the local licensee for a number of kids shoe labels owed by US company Collective Brands. In addition to managing distribution for the labels, Lew Footwear Holdings will also oversee the operation of stand alone retail stores, shop-in-shops and an e-commerce site.
The hero brand Lew Footwear Holdings has acquired the licence for is Stride Rite, an 92-year-old label that offers shoes for babies to kids' size 7. Under the deal, the first local Stride Rite store will open within six months. It will add to Stride Rite's existing presence in north and south America and Asia.
Other labels bound for Australia under the licence are baby shoe brand Robeez by Stride Rite, sneaker label Saucony Kids, casual shoe label Keds Kids and boat shoe brand Sperry Top-Sider Kids.
CEO of Collective Brands' Performance and Lifestyle product, Gregg Ribatt, said the licensing agreement followed “strong global interest for our brands”.
“Today's announcement for our children's brands across these two significant international markets helps us expand our global footprint to better meet the growing international demand,” Ribatt said.
Lew Footwear Holdings' latest deal follows its signing in 2010 of the local licence for US footwear and accessory brand Steve Madden. Since opening its first two Steve Madden stores in August 2010, the company has opened an additional six stores across Australia with another scheduled to open imminently on Melbourne's Bourke Street. While Lew Footwear Holdings debuted Steve Madden in Australia with women's footwear styles only, it has since added men's styles to the range this year.
The Collective Brands and Steve Madden developments add to the Lew family's operation of retail footwear chain, Nine West. Beyond the footwear market, Solomon Lew also owns or owns the licence to apparel brands French Connection, Seed Femme and private business Playcorp. Lew also holds a stake in Premier Investments, the company behind the Just Group.