Skechers seeks to sway shoe skeptics,
luxurysteps
New York - — Skechers USA Inc. is betting that a home-field advantage will help sell more gymgoers on its butt-toning
sneakers.
The nation's second-largest athletic shoemaker plans to open 37 percent more stores this year for a total of 300 as it introduces Shape-ups shoes aimed at athletes. The footwear marks a departure from the debut shoe,
sneakers, which promised wearers they could "get in shape without setting foot in a gym."
That pitch helped catapult Shape-ups into the ranks of the best-selling athletic shoes in the country and boost Skechers's sales 55 percent to $997.6 million in the first half. Skechers plans to keep the momentum going by luring athletes through its own stores,
gucci loafers, where employees know more about the science behind the shoe,
Gucci Men Sneakers Middle Line Brown/Grey 023, said Leonard Armato,
cheap womens sneakers, who runs the Shape-ups business.