Merrell (company)
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Type | Subsidiary |
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Industry | Footwear, textile |
Founded | 1981 |
Founders | Clark Matis Randy Merrell John Schweizer |
Headquarters | , |
Products | Hiking boots, athletic shoes, sandals, jackets, knit caps, gloves, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, and socks, backpacks, stuff sacks and bags. |
Parent | Wolverine World Wide |
Website | merrell.com |
Merrell is an American manufacturing company of footwear products. It was founded by Clark Matis, Randy Merrell, and John Schweizer in 1981 as a maker of high-performance hiking boots. Since 1997, the company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolverine World Wide. Products currently commercialized by Merrell include hiking boots, athletic shoes, sandals, jackets, knit caps, gloves, t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, and socks. Other accessories include backpacks, stuff sacks, and bags.
History[edit]
Origins[edit]
Merrell was established in 1981 when two executives for the Rossignol ski company, Clark Matis and John Schweizer, launched a new maker of hiking boots. The pair joined forces with Randal Ivan Merrell (R.I. Merrell), a maker of praised custom boots which retailed for $500 a pair.[1] Matis set to work designing a more affordable high-performance boot, which was developed in 1982. Plans were made for production of the new line in factories located in Italy, a leading exporter of footwear to the world market at the time.[1]
In 1983, the new Merrell company delivered its first product to the market, making shipments to a pair of east coast retailers specializing in hiking gear.[1]
In 1986, Randy Merrell sought to return to his previous life as a maker of custom boots and sold his share of the company bearing his name. That same year the company sold its 25,000th pair of boots.[1]
Sale to Karhu[edit]
In 1987, Merrell was purchased by Karhu. The new owners moved production of Merrell products to Asia, reducing retail prices and expanding sales. In 1988, sales of Merrell products topped the $4 million mark.[1]
A period of rapid growth for Merrell followed with 1989 sales increasing by 50%, to the $6 million mark. By 1990, some 300,000 pairs of shoes and boots were being sold annually, with sales for the year topping the $10 million mark for the first time. The company became a global enterprise, with divisions established in Canada, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia and the United States.[1]
The year 1992 saw another doubling of the company's sales volume, topping the $20 million mark. By the middle of the decade, Merrell products were being sold in 22 countries.[1]
Sale to Wolverine World Wide[edit]

In 1997, Karhu sold Merrell to Wolverine World Wide, a large footwear corporation which manufactures Hush Puppies shoes and Wolverine brand boots. In the year of the Wolverine acquisition, Merrell sales volume totaled $23 million.[2]
Wolverine introduced a new lighter-weight sensibility to the line, beginning with a trail running shoe called the "Jungle Runner".[3] This initial foray into lightweight footwear was not a commercial success, but a team led by Clark Matis came up with the idea of using a very aggressive trail running outsole with a casual slip-on upper made of pigskin suede, a material previously perfected and used extensively in the Hush Puppies line.[3]
The work of Matis' design group culminated with the introduction of what would become the brand's signature shoe, the "Jungle Moc." The new product was a success, with total shipments of Jungle Mocs hitting 3.5 million pairs by 2002 and 10 million by 2009.[1]
In 2007, the Merrell line was expanded to include apparel and accessories. By 2010, Merrell products were being sold in 151 countries.[1] The brand generates the most revenue in Wolverine World Wide's portfolio.[4]
Philanthropy[edit]
In partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), Merrell has created the Changing Nature of Work Award, which sponsors projects related to parks and recreation.[5]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Niemi, Wayne. (January 17, 2011). "Upward Bound". Footwear News. Vol. 67, no. 2. p. 18.
- ^ Niemi, Wayne. (January 17, 2011). "Making Merrell". Footwear News. Vol. 67, no. 2. p. 13.
- ^ a b Niemi, Wayne. (January 17, 2011). "The Next Chapter: Wolverine President and CEO Blake Krueger Reveals How the Brand Plans to Exploit New Growth Opportunities". Footwear News. Vol. 67, no. 2. p. 14.
- ^ Garner, Stephen (November 9, 2022). "Wolverine Stock Slides as Company Misses Revenue and Profit Targets in Q3". Footwear News. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
- ^ Verry, Peter (August 9, 2022). "Merrell Created an Award Honoring Those Making the Outdoors Better for All". Footwear News. Retrieved 2023-01-15.