Why Rothy’s Is Betting on Brick-and-Mortar Stores + Where the Brand Is Expanding Internationally
Rothy’s is betting big on brick and mortar in the new year. With 18 stores in operation, the sustainable company plans to open at least another 10 in the U.S. in 2024.
This year, Rothy’s opened four stores, and the locations helped fuel a 37 percent increase in retail sales to date this year. Going forward, key markets include Texas, Florida and the Northeast region.
More from Footwear News
“People still come to stores for connection. They want advice, they want to know how their product fits, they want to know the value behind what they’re paying for and they want to know the story of the brand. That has been a consistent experience,” Shaheen Mufti, Rothy’s VP of retaiI, told FN. “In Texas, we only have one store in Austin. But there’s a ton of opportunity there. And in Florida, we’re about to open our Orlando store in Disney Springs, and that’ll be the first one [in the state]. There’s still so many incredible cities that were just not represented.”
Mufti joined the company in August to support expansion efforts as the company enters its next phase of growth. Prior to Rothy’s, Mufti held leadership roles at SoulCycle, Tory Burch, Adidas, and most recently, as the VP of retail at Reformation.
As part of its expansion plans, the brand has started shipping internationally to 16 countries in total, including Mexico, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, England and more.
COO and CFO Dayna Quanbeck noted that the company is building plans for Asia and Latin America as well, with physical opportunities to come.
“At the end of the day, we want to be where our customers are shopping,” Quanbeck said. “What we’re really after right now is testing and learning. And it’s one of the reasons why we chose to do online first internationally because we can read the data. This will help us understand where we want to lean in so that we’ll be able to pace our growth and investment because of that.”
Looking ahead to 2024, Rothy’s also plans to further diversify its business channels by investing in select wholesale partnerships.
Said Quanbeck, “Our vertical integration is what’s going to allow us to do all of this because we can think differently. We’re in control, which makes us really nimble and allows us to fulfill that global supply.”
For Mufti, focusing on scaling physical stores is key to the company’s long-term growth. To do that, it comes down to the team and culture within, she said. “Always in retail, it centers on the team that you have in the store and how well you set them up for success. The main focus really needs to be on communication, and really arming them with tools. We opened our first stores and did an exceptional job. But as the business becomes more complex, we gain more customers, and people are shopping us across channels, the kind of visibility you can give to your team to help support customer better is critical.”
Best of Footwear News
The History of Giving Tuesday and What You Need to Know to Participate
These Theories About How Black Friday Got Started Will Surprise You
Birkenstock’s Blockbuster IPO: The Brand’s 250-Year History, From Barbie to Billions
Sign up for FN's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
