COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 44821

Shoe Stores

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

32companies1783–1991founding years32still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedThe North West Company, Inc.
1783
FoundedC&J Clark International Ltd.
1825
FoundedWeyco Group, Incorporated
1892
FoundedVivarte SA
1896
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedFoot Locker, Inc.
1905
FoundedWolverine World Wide, Inc.
1906
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1916
EconomyPiggly Wiggly opens the first self-service grocery store.
FoundedThe Stride Rite Corporation
1919
FoundedMarshalls Incorporated
1923
FoundedEram SA
1927
FoundedEdison Brothers Stores, Inc.
1929
FoundedThe Timberland Company
1933
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
EconomyThe first Walmart opens, built on everyday low prices.
FoundedIndustria de Diseño Textil S.A.
1963
FoundedNIKE, Inc.
1968
FoundedAcademy Sports & Outdoors
1973
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedThe Finish Line, Inc.
1976
FoundedNine West Group, Inc.
1977
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedKenneth Cole Productions, Inc.
1982
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedSteven Madden, Ltd.
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1994
TechnologyE-commerce begins to disrupt retail.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

The North West Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1783 · Canada
The North West Company, Inc., is the leading seller of food and other general merchandise in small towns across the…
C&J Clark International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1825 · United Kingdom
C&J Clark International Ltd.
Brown Shoe Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1881
Brown Shoe Company, Inc., is a retailer, wholesaler, and licenser of men's, women's, and children's footwear.
Weyco Group, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1892
Weyco Group, Incorporated is a major manufacturer, purchaser, and marketer of men's and boy's footwear, including…
The South African Breweries Limited →
Active · founded 1895 · South Africa
The South African Breweries Limited (SAB) is a holding company whose principal line of business is brewing.
Vivarte SA →
Active · founded 1896 · France
Vivarte SA, formerly Groupe André, is Europe's leading retail footwear group and a major force in the continent's…
Nordstrom, Inc. →
Active · founded 1901
Nordstrom, Inc.
Foot Locker, Inc. →
Active · founded 1905
Top athletic shoe retailer Foot Locker, Inc., was known until 1998 as the Woolworth Corporation and until 2001 as…
Wolverine World Wide, Inc. →
Active · founded 1906
Late 1980s:Company begins making hiking and outdoor boots under both the Wolverine and the licensed Coleman brand.
Kinney Shoe Corp. →
Active · founded 1917
Kinney Shoe Corp., a subsidiary of Woolworth Corp., is a century-old company that made its reputation as a family shoe…
The Stride Rite Corporation →
Active · founded 1919
Founded in 1919 as Green Shoe Manufacturing Company, the Stride Rite Corporation has become a major designer and…
Morse Shoe Inc. →
Active · founded 1922
Morse Shoe Inc.
Marshalls Incorporated →
Active · founded 1923
Marshall's Incorporated is one of the nation's leading off-price family retailers.
Genesco Inc. →
Active · founded 1925
Genesco Inc.
Eram SA →
Active · founded 1927 · France
Eram SA is the leading manufacturer of shoes in France, producing more than 11 million pairs of shoes per year.
JG Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
JG Industries, Inc., is the holding company for Goldblatt's Department Stores, one of Chicago's oldest discount…
Edison Brothers Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
Edison Brothers Stores, Inc., is a leading retailer, specializing in apparel, footwear, and entertainment.
The Timberland Company →
Active · founded 1933
Early 1980s:An Italian craze for Timberland boots turns Timberland into a fashion brand and ignites an explosion in…
Payless ShoeSource, Inc. →
Active · founded 1956
Payless ShoeSource, Inc.
Industria de Diseño Textil S.A. →
Active · founded 1963 · Spain
Industria de Diseño Textil S.A., also known as The Inditex Group, is one of the world's leading and fastest-growing…
Vans, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Vans, Inc.
NIKE, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Founded as an importer of Japanese shoes, NIKE, Inc.
AEON Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1969 · Japan
Formerly known as JUSCO AEON Co., Ltd.
Academy Sports & Outdoors →
Active · founded 1973
Privately owned by the Gochman family, Academy Sports & Outdoors operates the fourth largest chain of retail sporting…
The Finish Line, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
The Finish Line, Inc., is an athletic specialty retailer, carrying men's, women's, and children's brand name footwear,…
Just For Feet, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Just For Feet, Inc.
Nine West Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Nine West Group, Inc.
Shoe Carnival Inc. →
Active · founded 1978
Shoe Carnival Inc.
Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc.
Lamonts Apparel, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Lamonts Apparel, Inc.
Steven Madden, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1990
Steven Madden, Ltd.
Value City Department Stores, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Value City Department Stores, Inc.
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