Our guest this week is Michelle Poole, President of Crocs. As Crocs celebrates its 20th anniversary we dig into the remarkable growth story behind the increasingly iconic footwear company. We address head-on the polarizing (or is it fundamentally under-estimated?) nature of the brand and how Michelle has turned that to advantage. We also learn about the personalizing power of jibbitz and how product extensions and geographic expansion are fueling their growth. We also delve deep into the diverse, increasingly digitally-driven, go-to-market strategy that is putting the company on a path to hit $5 billion in sales by 2026. Lastly we get Michelle's perspective on how to balance purpose and profits.
But first we take on the news of the week, including earnings from three DTC brands. Lululemon was first out of the gate with continuing strong results. RH also turned in another solid quarter, but their CEO called out concerns about increasing headwinds. Lastly, Chewy continues the trend of "profitless prosperity" for disruptor brands as they reported strong sales and mounting losses. Their co-founder (Ryan Cohen) also gets this week's chutzpah award for pushing big changes at Bed, Bath & Beyond when his company has yet to break-even. We also touch on all the store openings from Five Below and other value retailers and when this music might stop.
Here is the episode with Vuori's CEO Joe Kudla that Michelle mentions.
And don't forget to check out our bonus episode recapping this year's Shoptalk conference, recorded live from high above the Vegas Strip.
About Michelle
Michelle Poole became President, Crocs, Inc. in September 2020 and has oversight of the Americas, Asia and EMEA regional commercial teams, as well as Product Design and Management, Merchandising, and Marketing teams. Prior to this, she served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Product and Merchandising Officer since April 2020 and as our Senior Vice President and Chief Product and Merchandising Officer since 2014.
In addition to her product and merchandising responsibilities, Ms. Poole assumed responsibility for our Marketing function in 2017. Ms. Poole has more than 28 years of experience and proven success in the development of leading global fashion and lifestyle brands including Sperry Top-Sider, Timberland, Kangol, Converse, MTV Europe and Pepe Jeans where she held a range of marketing, merchandising & product management roles. Since 2018, Ms. Poole has served on the board of Pact, a privately held apparel brand, based in Boulder, CO. She received her Bachelor’s honors degree in fashion marketing from the University of Northumbria, UK.
About Us
Steve Dennis is an advisor, keynote speaker and author on strategic growth and business innovation. You can learn more about Steve on his website. The expanded and revised edition of his bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption is now available at Amazon or just about anywhere else books are sold. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on Twitter and LinkedIn. You can also check out his speaker "sizzle" reel here.
Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global E-Commerce Tech Talks , The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois and now in its second season, Conversations with CommerceNext! You can learn more about Michael here or on LinkedIn.
Be sure and check out Michael's latest venture for fun and influencer riches - Last Request Barbecue, his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!
About Us
Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor, board member, and keynote speaker focused on strategic growth and transformation and the impact of digital disruption. He is the author of the bestselling book Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption and the forthcoming Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption , which will be published in April 2024 and is now available for pre-order at book retailers everywhere. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior contributor and on social media..
Don't forget to join Steve's new Linked Group for his new book.
Michael LeBlanc is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice, a keynote speaker around the world and consumer growth consultant. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience, and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. Michael is the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus Global eCommerce Leaders podcast, and The Food Professor , Canada's top food industry podcasts and one of the top management podcasts in the nation according to Apple, with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois. You can learn more about Michael on LinkedIn.
Be sure and check out Michael's Last Request Barbecue, his YouTube BBQ cooking channel!
