Greg Licht has proof that sheepskin boots still are hot.
This year, the president of Emu Australia in San Clemente, which makes sheepskin boots and shoes, did a promotion with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and pledged a donation on every pair of pink Emu boots sold.
He hasn’t cut the check yet (he said he’ll do so at the end of January). But, “We sold a mountain of pink boots,” Licht said.
Sheepskin boots, once only a hit with surfers, were made popular in mainstream fashion once movie stars such as Kate Hudson started wearing them around town.
“People think the boot craze is a fad,” Licht said. “But we think we’ve pioneered a new category of footwear.”
In late 2003, Emu and Aussie Dogs Sheepskin Footwear in San Clemente, a maker of sheepskin boots, slippers and shoes, were bombarded with folks looking for a pair. During the holidays that year, Aussie Dogs’ Web site had sold out of virtually every style.
The trend held, Licht said. In 2004, Emu tripled its business, he said.
“We sold millions of shoes last year,” said Licht, who declined to give specifics. “We don’t see it slowing down.”
Both companies said they’ve ramped up for demand.
Aussie Dogs added a rainbow of colors to its offerings. You now can get Aussie Dogs in pink, light blue, red and navy.
Emu, which started in south Australia and launched in the U.S. 10 years ago, tweaked its marketing mix.
The company still targets surfers flipping through magazines such as Primedia Inc.’s Surfing and Surfer, which are based in San Clemente. It also upped its focus on wannabes in fashion publications, such as Cosmopolitan, CosmoGirl Teen Vogue and YM.
Licht said 80% of people who buy sheepskin boots do so just to be fashionable. Emu really started targeting a bigger crowd about four years ago when it shifted market gears on the Emu brand, which was “stodgy,” he said.
The company added “styling and sex appeal,” which took it in “a whole new different direction,” Licht said.
“Our (advertising) spend this year frightens me,” Licht said. “We’re stepping it up.”
Emu, which employs 12 people in San Clemente, also has gotten more bites from retailers that want to carry its line. Bloomingdale’s and Victoria’s Secret now carry it in stores and catalogs, Licht said.
The company also sells to a number of Orange County shops, such as Tilly’s and Jack’s Surfboards.
Plus, Emu makes products for others who put their own labels on them. Costco Wholesale Corp. was a customer until recently, Licht said.
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Myprint’s Web site: printer spent $1.5 million on software |
Print Change
Times have changed at Irvine-based Mybar Printing Inc. and so has its name. The printing company now is Myprint Corp.
The thinking behind the name change is to try and better reflect what services the company offers, Chief Executive Kent Barkouras said.
Customers can go online and order and manage marketing materials, such as brochures, catalogs, coupons and fliers, Barkouras said. Myprint then processes the orders, prints materials and ships them out.
“We provide information that allows (marketing and sales managers) to track the activity and distribution of materials by each of their sales reps,” or by region or product line, Barkouras said.
Myprint spent about $1.5 million coming up with the software more than two years ago.
“For 2005 and beyond, we are adding staff in all areas, especially in the online services group,” Barkouras said.
Myprint works with about 1,700 restaurants, including IHOP Corp. and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc., the operator of Red Robin, which signed on to pay Myprint licensing fees for use of its system. It also gets orders from more than 5,000 healthcare providers.
New clients include Wells Fargo & Co., International Coffee & Tea LLC and PacifiCare Health Systems Inc.
Myprint also has opened regional offices in Camarillo and Santa Barbara, and has two more on tap for San Francisco and Denver, Barkouras said.
Bits & Pieces:
Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc. recently inked a deal with ESPN to be a sponsor of the Winter X games in Aspen, Colo., from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1. Quiksilver and its DC Shoes unit, acquired last year, plan to launch national advertising campaigns during the competition Brea-based Calabee’s Inc., which franchises Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants in the Southland, is promoting its newest Applebee’s restaurant, which opened in Montebello in January, its eighth in Los Angeles.
