Skechers has found its first foothold in Washtenaw County: the shoe chain opened May 10 in the Arborland storefront that has seen only temporary Halloween City tenancy since Arhaus moved up Washtenaw Ave. to Arbor Hills Crossing in 2013.
Related: Halloween City
Known as a comfort-minded brand of casual, athletic, and work shoe lines for men, women, and children, Skechers has grown since its 1992 founding into the world’s third-largest footwear company, grossing nearly $9 billion last year. Surveys show it to be much more popular among Gen X and older consumers than with younger generations.
The Arborland store, its fifteenth in Michigan among over 5,300 worldwide, couldn’t possibly stock all 3,000 or so Skechers designs, but at 14,420 square feet, it appears to have the second-largest footprint in town among shoe stores, trailing only DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse, just steps away.
The district manager, tracked down outside the store the day before its launch, wasn’t cleared to speak with the media, but the PR director from the Manhattan Beach, California, headquarters promptly emailed an invitation to pose written questions. The response was essentially a referral to the website’s About page.
Still run by its eighty-five-year-old founder Robert Greenberg (who also founded LA Gear), Skechers announced on May 5 an agreement to be acquired by 3G Capital, a move that will take the Fortune 500 company private.
Skechers, 3600 Washtenaw Ave., ste. 115 (Arborland Center). (734) 584–8751. Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–7 p.m. local.skechers.com/mi/ann-arbor/1540
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