Where are Merrell Shoes Made?

Merrell Shoes – an American shoe manufacturing company that first started making hiking shoes, then introduced varieties by the time. Three partners founded it; Randy Merrell, Clark Matis, and John Schweizer in 1981. Because of the making of high-quality hiking boots, the company gained much appreciation among customers.

Merrell shoes are made in the United States and Asian Countries. Resources have shown that Vietnam is top on the list of these countries, ensuring the highest manufacturing for the company. China is also on the list, but it is a complex debate we will discuss below.

Merrell Shoes Manufacturing Centers

It has been observed that Merrell Shoes started manufacturing in the USA when founded and later introduced other factories in Italy. But that was the time when it was under its original founders. Nowadays, the company has manufacturing centers in the United States and Asian countries.

United States

As you know, the USA is the hometown of Merrell Shoes and accounts for more than 15% of the company’s total production. It has been observed that manufacturing houses are in South America, Mexico, Arkansas, and Michigan. Most of these production houses are third-party promoting manufacturing for the company.

The reason behind getting the majority of manufacturing from third parties is to make the products more affordable for retailers or customers.

Asian Countries

In 1987, a sneaker manufacturing company from Finland named Karhu owned Merrell and shifted the production plants from Italy to Asian countries. That’s because the majority of sales at that time belonged to these countries, so they decided to move plants here to make the product more affordable.

The Asian countries where Karhu shifted Merrell plants include:

China

China was a global economy at that time, with modern features and facilities to promote higher production in less time. Plus, efficient labor services at low costs, so the company decided to make plants here. Now, many variants of Merrell shoes are made in China, while special operations regarding this are also controlled here.

According to the statistics, it has been observed that more than 85% of Wolverine productions are done in Asian countries. To strengthen the Merrell-China relationship, the company has collaborated with Xtep International Holdings, a Chinese sports equipment company. It will help Wolverine ensure higher development, distribution, and marketing of Merrell products in China and Macau.

But still, the trade war between the United States and China has made it difficult for Wolverine to rely on China entirely. Keeping in mind, the company has also started production in Vietnam – another Asian Country.

Vietnam

Vietnam would be the top result when you search for where are Merrell shoes made. The reason behind, undoubtedly higher production of company shoes in the country. Resources clarified that nowadays, the company focuses more on Vietnamese production than the Chinese.

The country offers more affordable labor than China and helps produce more than 50% of Wolverine products. According to the sources, Vietnam annually manufactures 70% of Merrell footwear.

India

In 2008, Merrell introduced manufacturing plants in India and launched products in the market. Though it gained much response still, manufacturing from there is averaged.

Indonesia

Indonesia is also on the list of Asian countries involved in manufacturing Merrell shoes. Same as India, the production ratio here is low compared to Vietnam and China.

Cambodia

Wolverine introduced manufacturing plants in Cambodia and manufactures or assembled Merrell variants here. Also, the company is deciding to increase production here in later years.

Brand Importance of Merrell Shoes

Merrell shoes are considered one of the luxurious ones and achieved higher brand importance because of several appreciated features. Undoubtedly, Merrell shoes have dozens of rating factors, making them a reliable choice.

Here are the features adding value to Merrell’s Brand Importance.

Comfortable

Merrell shoes are designed keeping in mind good foot ankle support so that you feel comfortable while walking, running, or hiking.

Easy To Afford

Besides essential features in manufacturing and others, Merrell shoes also gained popularity because of affordable pricing. One can afford different variants of these shoes without disturbing a comfortable budget. It means you can get your favorite shoes and what you are paying for.

Durable

Merrell shoes are found to be long lasting because of the excellent material used in manufacturing. For reference, you can check how customers prioritize Jungle Merrell Moc LTR or Women’s Jungle Moc. This will help you understand and decide about getting these shoes.

Arch Support

Arch support is directly related to comfortability and reliability. Along with the eye-catchy manufacturing design, all of their products are made with a built-in heel counter and anatomical footbed providing ultimate arch support.

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Merrell Shoes – A Quick Overview

Merrell shoes is an American company that specializes in manufacturing hiking boots for greater performance. It is famous for introducing a wide range of shoes to provide customers with a better experience. That’s the reason behind its most selling market across the world.

In 1981, Merrell’s shoes first met the world’s shoe market as it gained higher popularity among customers and international markets because of higher selling so that most of the manufacturing companies offered deals of ownership to the company. When Merrell was in the hands of its founders, the manufacturing factories were dealing in the USA and Italy.

Karhu’s Period

Later, in 1987 it was owned by Karhu – a sneakers and apparel manufacturing company based in Finland. As per Karhu’s decisions, the manufacturing factories of Merrell were moved to the Asian countries from Italy. This decision reduced manufacturing and exporting costs, making getting Merrell’s shoes more affordable.

Because of the Karhu’s wise decision, same after one year in 1988, Merrell shoes topped $4 million in sales worldwide.1989 was the year when the company reached increasing sales by 50% because of higher affordability of products, and 1990 came up with $10 million of sales mark which made the company a global enterprise.

With that, the company made several divisions in countries like Canada, Scandinavia, and the UK.

Pay attention – 1992, for the first time when Merrell’s shoe sales volume topped $20 million; the products started being sold in more than 22 countries worldwide.

Wolverine World Wide Period

Next – the company was owned by Wolverine World Wide – an American footwear manufacturing company based in Rockford, Michigan. Talking about the popularity of Wolverine – it is known for its eponymous brand.

Wolverine highly added value to the overall reputation of Merrell’s reputation. It introduced several new products and came up with innovative ideas that have generated a sales volume of $23 million. The most famous product introduced at that time was Jungle Moc, and it hit sales of 3.5 million pairs by 2002.

In 2007, the Merrell was expanded and introduced new products worldwide. And by 2010, the company gained value for products in more than 151 countries and achieved annual sales of $500 million.

Now, Merrell shoes have headquarters in Michigan, where it operates all the selling procedures, management, and much more. In fact, company deals are also done at headquarters for manufacturing decisions.

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Final Thoughts

The above article provides a satisfactory and in-depth answer to where are Merrell Shoes made. Plus, the period of different ownerships and much more is also described for your better navigation.

To get to know more about Merrell Shoes, you can contact us.