North Face 2011 Annual Report Download - page 15

    
brand loyalty is the ultimate goal of VF’s direct-
to-consumer strategy. “VF brand stores and
websites are vehicles to deliver the essence of
each brand to individual consumers. We want
consumers to be surrounded by the entire sense
of the brand and its full product oerings,” says
Gannaway. “We want them to interact with sta
and interactive tools to learn what the brand and
products can do. We want them to connect with
activities and stories, and immerse themselves in
what the brand is all about.”
At year-end , VF owned and operated ,
stores. ough this is a large number in total,
Gannaway is condent that, because of the
diversity of VF’s portfolio and the strength of
its brands, there is still tremendous opportunity
to add a substantial number of stores over the
coming years without saturating the market.
“Only Vans and Timberland have more than 
stores globally, and over  of Vans ® stores are
concentrated on the West Coast of the United
States,” Gannaway says. “ese and other VF
brands still have tremendous room to open stores
in North America, Europe and Asia.” VF opened
 stores in , and acquired  Timberland ®
brand stores.  For All Mankind continued its
expansion, opening six stores in North America
and eight more in Europe. e Kipling® brand
opened  stores, mostly operated by retail
partners, in addition to  shop-in-shop
locations and its rst partnership store in South
Africa. Vans doubled its European retail footprint,
with  new stores, all owned and operated.
Store growth wasn’t just limited to VF’s larger
brands. Splendid opened ve stores with a new
concept featuring a “Sew Splendid” special event
cart that lets consumers craft their own pieces
using the brand’s famously soft fabrics. And Ella
Moss opened its rst retail store in Newport
Beach, California. To ensure that the portfolio
remains strong and protable as it expands, VF
applies a rigorous set of nancial disciplines and
performance metrics for all new store openings.
“We believe that VF brands must earn the right
to grow,” explains Gannaway. “ey work hard to
test and develop the right kind of models, then
VF invests behind scaling them globally.” 
  | 
VF brands still have
tremendous room to
open new stores in
North America,
Europe and Asia.
7 For All Mankind
opened new retail
stores in Italy, Germany
and the Netherlands,
expanding its presence
across Europe.
The Vans® brand and DQM, a leading New York City streetwear
purveyor and skateshop, opened the doors to a co-branded retail
store, a first-of-its-kind collaboration in the U.S. for Vans. Located
in the heart of New York’s SoHo district, the new store is Vans’
first in Manhattan. “The General” blends Vans’ Southern California
surf and skate roots with DQM’s New York City skate and street
heritage to create a unique retail concept. In a 2,600-square-foot
space that was formerly a haven for skateboarders and artists,
the store carries original, exclusive co-branded DQM for Vans®
footwear and apparel, as well as select Vans® and DQM premium
products for men, women and kids.
 |  
Founded in 1995, the Vans Warped
Tour reaches more than 600,000
youth in the U.S. alone. Because of
the influence music has on young
people’s lives, being part of music
culture is vital to the brand.
Vans is a leader in social media activation, breaking through
the plateaus of two, three and four million fan “Likes” on
Facebook in 2011. Vans also reaches its youth consumers
directly through more than 15 unique websites such as
offthewall.tv, vanssurf.com and vanssnow.com.