Skechers to Expand LatAm Footprint

Footwear brand takes over its distribution in the region, plans for expansion.

Skechers USA is transitioning its business in Latin America from a third-party distributor to a wholly owned subsidiary that will allow the footwear brand to grow its operations in the region.

The new subsidiary, Skechers Latin America, will oversee more than 30 countries including the four key markets of Panama, Peru, Colombia and Costa Rica.

Building on nearly 20 years of business in the region, Skechers plans to transition 21 stores to subsidiary-owned and -operated locations as well as look at new retail destinations and expand its distribution base.

Several executives from the brand's previous Latin American distributor, Dabsan International, will help to manage the new subsidiary business including Dabsan president Daniel Bassan.

“Skechers’ strategic business model has established a strong framework for our brand to grow in many parts of the world, and we see Latin America as the next natural destination for us to employ this vision,” says David Weinberg, chief operating officer, Skechers. “Over the years, our distributor in the region, Dabsan International, established an extensive retail and wholesale network in Latin America and at one point, became our largest distributor. With the increased demand for our brand and incredible growth that Skechers has experienced over the last few years–including our international wholesale business, which has grown more than 60 percent in the second quarter of 2015 year over year–we see an opportunity to drive our Latin America business to the next level.”