Vans Inc. is gearing up to make its move to Orange County from Santa Fe Springs.
The shoe and clothing maker, owned by Greensboro, N.C.-based apparel maker VF Corp., is busy designing its new headquarters, which is slated to open mid-March in Cypress at 6550 Katella Blvd.
The new digs are expected to have all the bells and whistles,artwork, an indoor skate park and a swanky lounge for its sponsored professional athletes to hang out.
“Everything is in motion to make the move happen,” said Chris Overholser, Vans spokesman.
The 104,000-square-foot building is set to have 300 workers to start off, Overholser said.
The bulk of the employees are transferring from Vans’ Santa Fe Springs offices, which are set to be used for warehousing and distribution, according to Overholser.
A handful of workers,who design snow clothes such as snowboarding jackets and pants,also are coming from Vans’ San Leandro office.
Vans plans to shift some distribution to an 800,000-square-foot building in Visalia, which already is used by other VF brands.
Design Hub
OC is set to become Vans’ stage for product design and development, sales and marketing, human resources and retail.
Vans was “bursting at the seams” in Santa Fe Springs and needed more office room, Overholser said.
“It makes a lot of sense to move back to Orange County because that’s where the heart of the action sports industry is and that’s where our roots are,” he said.
It’s a homecoming for the company, which left the county 10 years ago after getting its start in Anaheim in 1966 selling a few styles of skateboarding sneakers. Back then, the most expensive pair was $4.99, Overholser said.
“The first day we had 12 customers that purchased shoes,” he said. “They looked at samples, picked out styles and we made it for them that day.”
Vans, a pioneer of unconventional marketing such as music tours and skate park events, has grown up.
5,000 Products
The company now makes some 5,000 different products, including sneakers costing up to $125 a pair, snowboarding boots, clothes for guys and girls, and protective gear such as elbow pads and helmets for skateboarding under the Protec brand, which Vans bought in 2002.
Vans garb is sold in surf shops, such as Jack’s Surfboards in Huntington Beach and Anaheim-based Pacific Sunwear of California Inc., department stores, such as Kohl’s, and sporting goods shops, including Sport Chalet.
VF Push
During the past few years, Vans has made a big push to expand its clothing offering, mainly driven by parent VF, which bought the skate shoemaker in 2004 for $396 million.
VF makes jeans, sportswear and other clothes under different brands, such as Wrangler, Rider, Lee, North Face and Nautica.
Vans is part of VF’s outdoor division, which saw a 32% increase in fourth-quarter sales to $453 million. VF, which doesn’t break out Vans’ sales, said the skate shoemaker had “double-digit revenue gains” in the quarter.
“They saw (apparel) as a little bit of an untapped business for us,” Overholser said.
In the past two years, Vans has ramped up its apparel division and hired about 30 people, he said.
“We’re starting to see the fruits of their labor,” Overholser said.
Vans continues to expand its clothing for men, kids and girls, with girls getting the biggest boost.
The company also has plans to grow its retail stores this year. The company has 150 Vans stores around the country and will open more, Overholser said.
He declined to give specifics.
