COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 448210

Shoe Stores

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

30companies1825–1977founding years30still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedC&J Clark International Ltd.FoundedC&J Clark International Ltd.FoundedC&J Clark International Ltd.
1825
FoundedBrown Shoe Company, Inc.
1881
FoundedVivarte SA
1896
FoundedNordstrom, Inc.
1901
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedFoot Locker, Inc.FoundedFoot Locker, Inc.
1905
FoundedWolverine World Wide, Inc.
1906
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedEram SA
1927
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedThe Timberland Company
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedIndustria de Diseño Textil S.A.
1963
FoundedVans, Inc.FoundedVans, Inc.
1966
FoundedNIKE, Inc.
1968
FoundedAEON Co., Ltd.
1969
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedThe Finish Line, Inc.
1976
FoundedNine West Group, Inc.
1977
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1994
TechnologyAmazon is founded; e-commerce begins to disrupt retail.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
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

C&J Clark International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1825 · United Kingdom
C&J Clark International Ltd.
C&J Clark International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1825 · United Kingdom
C&J Clark International Ltd.
C&J Clark International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1825 · United Kingdom
C&J Clark International Ltd.
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.
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.
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…
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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
Vans, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Vans, Inc.
NIKE, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Founded as an importer of Japanese shoes, NIKE, 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.
AEON Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1969 · Japan
Formerly known as JUSCO AEON Co., Ltd.
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,…
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,…
Nine West Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Nine West Group, Inc.
Nine West Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Nine West Group, Inc.
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