Dr Martens to expand retail presence in Germany, Austria & Switzerland

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jun 21, 2018

Dr Martens has taken over its own distribution in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and has plans to open several retail stores in key locations.

The next phase of the footwear brand in the DACH region will be kicked off with the opening of a first store in Cologne, Germany this week.

A subsidiary office is due to open in Dusseldorf later in the year, and the retailer will be hiring for new marketing and sales positions in the country, reported The Retail Bulletin.

The move to take over distribution in the region, a right held by Bondi Marketing for more than 10 years, is part of Dr Martens’ strategy to strengthen its direct to consumer channels.

Bondi Marketing will begin to phase out its management of the brand’s operations, but will remain a key partner for the company in the region, tasked with helping it build a strong wholesale network.

Dan Le Vesconte, president of EMEA at Airwair International, said: “This is a significant and exciting moment for Dr. Martens. We have seen strong growth across Europe in recent years and have generated great momentum across the region.

“Today’s announcement is testament to the significant potential we see in these key markets, particularly in Germany, and represents another stage in our successful growth strategy.”

The expansion underlines the importance of Germany for the brand, after seeing a 25% increase in sales in the EMEA region in financial year 2017. The region contributed to £118.2 million in sales, accounting for a large portion of the total £290.6 million revenues.