Timberland has landed in Detroit with its first-ever specialty retail store in the Michigan city.
Located at 1217 Woodward Avenue, the 1,400-square-foot store will carry a full assortment of footwear, apparel, and accessories for men and women, as well as kids’ footwear.
According to the VF Corp.-owned brand, the store’s footwear assortment will focus on signature silhouettes such as the 6-Inch Premium Waterproof Boots, Field Boots, Euro Hikers, and 3-Eye Handsewn Boat Shoes for men; and 6-Inch Premium Waterproof Boots, Noreen Boat Shoes, and the new Stone Street collection for women. Apparel will focus primarily on outerwear, the company noted.
Gautham Rao, vice president and general manager of Timberland Americas, told FN in an interview that the brand’s newest store was “designed to reflect Timberland’s 50+ year heritage of crafted, weather-ready style, in an open floorplan that invites exploration.”
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The executive noted that design details throughout the space include oak wood, brushed steel fixtures, textured concrete walls and leather accents.
As for why Timberland chose to open its own brick-and-mortar location in Detroit, Rao attributes the city’s “resilience and creativity” as some of the reasons.
“[Detroit] is a place that has reinvented itself time and again, and that spirit really resonates with Timberland,” Rao maintained. “Our brand is rooted in hard work, community, and self-expression – values that Detroit embodies. Opening our first freestanding store on Woodward Avenue is about honoring that connection and being part of the city’s ongoing story.”
The executive also noted that the city has an “amazing duality” of both grit and style. “It’s a city built on industry, but it’s also a hub for music, art, and fashion,” Rao said. “While Timberland has grown to become a global streetwear icon, we’ve never forgotten that we started on job sites. That blend of culture and utility is exactly what Detroit represents. People here know how to work hard and look good doing it, and that’s the essence of Timberland.”
As for how the local community is responding to the new store so far, Rao said the company is already “seeing great energy” from the public. He added that Timberland hosted a pop-up activation at Riverfront Fall Fest last month that was well received
“There seems to be genuine excitement around Timberland coming to Detroit – not only for the core Timberland brand, but also for our Timberland Pro line for skilled trade workers,” Rao added. “We can’t wait to open and have the chance to engage with the good people of Detroit every day!”
This news comes after VF Corporation president and chief executive officer Bracken Darrell told analysts in October that Timberland, along with The North Face, “delivered broad-based growth” in the second quarter.
In Q2, Timberland saw sales increase 7 percent to $506.4 million. VF noted that Timberland saw strong demand in the Americas driven by a strong back-to-school season. The shoe brand also saw strong demand for the 6-Inch Premium boot, led by the Americans and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), as the boat shoe also grew in all regions.
“The opportunity in Timberland is really significant because we can continue to grow the boot, we can grow in other footwear franchises and we can unlock apparel around the world, all at the same time,” Darrell told analysts last month. “And in the U.S., especially, this will be supported by expanded and enhanced distribution. We have the game plan to do that now.”
