All Clarks articles
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News briefs
Clarks Netherlands stores to shut as new GAB wholesale partnership starts
A shake-up of Clarks’ Benelux operations will see the closure of seven branded stores in the Netherlands as it ends its partnership with Mulder Schoenen and starts a new deal with Group Alain Broekaert (GAB). The British footwear company said its shoes will continue to be sold in the Netherlands, ...
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ArticleClarks set to axe UK 103 jobs and announces Benelux tie-up with GAB
Clarks is cutting more than 100 jobs in response to economic headwinds and the cost-of-living crisis that has seen British consumers tighten their belts in response to soaring inflation. The U.K. footwear company said it expected tougher trading conditions to continue into next year and would need to manage overheads ...
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ArticleC & J Clark International hit by post-Covid supply issues, but group results step ahead
C & J Clark International reported lower turnover and profits last calendar year as post-Covid pandemic supply chain issues hit stock availability. The company is the unit of the Clarks group that manages the activities in the U.K., all of the wholesale business in Asia as well as some of ...
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Clarks pick Cat Burns as brand ambassador
Clarks has chosen the 23-year old British singer Cat Burns as its latest brand ambassador. She will promote the Torhill ankle boot that channels “the legendary cool of the Clarks Wallabee mixed with chunky, ‘90s-inspired Big Gripper soles to create new icons for the future”.
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Clarks names Bob Neville as head for the U.K. and Ireland
Clarks appointed Bob Neville as its managing director for the U.K. and the Republic of Ireland, effective in August. He will report to Jon Ram, the CEO of the British brand. Neville returns to the U.K. from Hong Kong, where he spent 30 years working for Under Armour, New Balance ...
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ArticleApparel Group to open more than 20 Clarks stores in Saudi Arabia in 5 yrs
Apparel Group, a global fashion and lifestyle conglomerate based in Dubai, has entered a strategic partnership with Clarks. The alliance aims to expand the retail footprint of the British footwear brand across Saudi Arabia, with plans to open more than 20 stores over the next five years. “The expansion plan ...
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Clarks appoints Martine Rose as guest creative director
Clarks has appointed Martine Rose as its first-ever guest creative director. She has designed three pairs of shoes for the British brand that will be available from March 2024. Rose, 42, is a British-Jamaican menswear designer and founder of the Martine Rose label. In 2018, she released a collaboration with ...
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News briefs
Clarks's U.K., European head steps down
Clarks’s managing director for the U.K., Ireland, the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Joe Ulloa, has stepped down. Ulloa joined the British footwear group in 2017 as retail and franchise director for the U.K. and Europe. He was promoted managing director of the U.K. and Ireland in ...
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ArticleCasual footwear sales rebound in 2021
As the world returned to more pre-Covid 19 normalcy, to the office and to social events, the branded casual footwear market recovered strongly by rising 19.5 percent in 2021 to $14,671 million from $12,272 million a year earlier. While impressive, the percentage gain did not equal those made by the ...
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ArticleClarks focuses on China and U.K. after returning to a profit
Clarks swung to a profit in the 2021/2022 fiscal year thanks to reduced discounting and a better product mix. The British company is targeting a return to pre-Covid turnover levels within three years. The 197-year-old brand started a five-year reorganization program to cut costs under the guidance of its new ...
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Clarks opens first U.S. store in 3 years
Clarks opened a 2,300 square feet store in the Amerian Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the first store opened by the British footwear brand in the U.S. in three years. In an interview with Footwear News, Gary Champion, the president of Clarks Americas, said “this store ...
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ArticleClarks hires the head of Champion as its new CEO
Clarks announced that Jonathan Ram will be its new CEO in April, taking the place of Victor Herrero. Ram will be leaving the U.S. clothing group HanesBrands, where he is president of global activewear, on March 31 to join the British shoemaker. Ram already spent more than four years in ...
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Clarks hires two new managers
Clarks has hired Olivier Motteau as the head of its European business, excluding the U.K. and Ireland. Motteau spent 14 years with New Balance. He was initially hired in 2007 as country manager for France and was promoted to run the European operations in 2010. He expanded the European footprint ...
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ArticleClarks 2-month strike over
The troubled British footwear company Clarks has reached an agreement with about 100 workers to end a two-month strike at its distribution centre in Somerset. The deal with the Community trade union, which follows mediation with the U.K.’s Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), is understood to protect hourly pay ...
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ArticleClarks CEO steps down after 10 months in role as strike drags on
The embattled British shoemaker Clarks said that its chief executive, Victor Herrero, has stepped down after only months in the job to take on “broader” responsibilities at its private equity parent firm. The announcement comes amid an ongoing strike by workers at the company’s Westway warehouse in Somerset over controversial ...
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ArticleCasual footwear market fell by 13.1% in 2020
According to a study conducted by Shoe Intelligence in collaboration with Sporting Goods Intelligence, the branded casual footwear market fell by 13.1 percent in terms of invoiced dollars to an estimated level of $18.33 billion in 2020 due to the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on retailing and demand. ...
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ArticleClarks distribution center strike continues over fire and rehire threat
Workers at the British shoe maker Clarks are continuing their strike action over threats to fire them if they reject new contracts on lower pay, with the company claiming it had made “significant concessions” in recent days. The strike started on Oct. 4 when more than 100 staff walked out ...
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ArticleLionRock bought 51% of Clarks for £1
The Hong Kong-based private equity firm LionRock Capital paid £1 (€1.2-$1.4) for a 51 percent stake in Clarks, when it took over the British footwear company earlier this year, according to documents filed with the British registrar of companies, Companies House. The group’s annual report showed that C&J Clark Limited ...
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Clarks launches style using surplus materials
Clarks Originals has released a new style called Wallabee Patch whose upper is made by using surplus materials to create a ”unique camouflage design.” The company said that Wallabee Patch ”combines sustainable production with our iconic moccasin silhouette.” It added that the rubber crepe sole is Forest Stewardship ...
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Clarks staff ready to strike to avoid cut in labor rights
Workers at Clarks are considering taking strike action over plans by the British shoe company to fire and then rehire them on inferior terms. Loss-making Clarks was taken over by Hong Kong-based private equity firm LionRock Capital earlier this year as the Clark family lost control of the ...
