Footwear Insight

46 • Footwear Insight ~ November/December 2017 footwearinsight.com PROFILE And the plan is to reduce pro- motional activity on the brand's direct-to-consumer website. "This will make the playing field more even for a true omni-channel strategy, which will insure a well- executed partnership with our wholesale accounts." Seventeen percent of all kid's shoes are sold online, McManus estimates. In signing the agreement with Vida, Wolverine cited the compa- ny's expertise in the kid's market (Vida has a stable of brands includ- ing Carter's, Oshkosh, XOXO, MAP and Jambu) and in particular its track record with product development. "We will offer a range of prod- uct that starts with infants and extends up to pre-teens. And we will offer quality and value," McManus says. The line will include everything from athletic to dress with a core prices from $35 to $55 retail. The Vida team terms Stride Rite as a child's first walking shoe and will position its SRT (Stride Rite Technology) and Soft Motion lines as just that. The line will also include a "Made to Play" collection that fea- tures memory foam and is machine washable and a line of light up shoes that can also be thrown in the washing machine. McManus says that Vida has exerted its influence on the Fall 2018 collection and that spring 2019 will be the first collection where it was involved from "con- ception to evolution." But he says Vida's business strategy is already well in place behind the brand. "As in all of retail today, the landscape is constantly shift- ing," McManus says. "However, the kid's footwear market is still predicated on the emotional con- nection between the brand and the consumer. Parents want to be sure they are doing what's right for their children, so they seek out trusted brands to help their deci- sion making. Similarly, retailers today, as they are challenged with managing sales, marketing, inven- tory, and personnel issues greatly appreciate reliable, strong, multi- brand partners they can partner with to grow their business." O Stride Rite Spring 2018 Phibian Lights Stride Rite Dixon "The kid's footwear market is still predicated on the emotional connection between the brand and the consumer. Parents want to be sure they are doing what's right for their children, so they seek out trusted brands to help their decision making." Stride Rite Talia

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