Red Wing Shoes Expands Display Program to Small Stores

Red Wing, Minn. -- After registering sales success with the company's four-year-old modular merchandising system called "Vendor Shop," Red Wing Shoe Co. recently introduced a scaled-down program, titled "Vendor Shop Lite," designed especially for the brand's smaller retail partners."The Vendor Shop Lite program was developed for dealers who carry fewer SKUs but still wanted a strong brand presentation," says Nick Farstad, manager of creative services. "With more than 4,500 dealers around the globe, we wanted to create a modular system that was consistent no matter where our customers found us. It was a true relationship builder with our customers and our retail accounts."So far this year, the system has been installed in more than 500 smaller stores carrying the Red Wing, Carhartt and Worx brands of footwear. The "easy to install" modular merchandising system fits on standard slatwall and does not require the use of tools. Designed by Chicago-based Wenzl & Co., the displays are made of basic 15-inch-square panels, shaped in a way that enables store owners to create a complete wall presentation. A variety of signage options distinguish between brands, and magnetic feature tags that apply directly to the product shelves call out up to three key product characteristics for each style. "Our target audience is made up of masculine guys who come into these stores covered in drywall dust or paint," explains Farstad. "Not only did we want to create a presentation that gave store owners room to grow, but also something that would relate to our target consumer."The display utilizes rich colors and metals along with nuts and bolts, materials to which the target consumer could relate. The displays also feature a state-of-the-art LED lighting system that illuminates the products being showcased."The lighting system really added to the overall presentation of the displays," says owner Rich Wenzl. "When someone enters a retail store and witnesses the consistency of the brand, they are pulled in."The original merchandising program started back in 2005 as Red Wing executives were looking for ways to improve their overall brand presentation. Now, with plans to expand the Vendor Shop Lite program into 1,000 stores, company executives say they are pleased with the feedback they have received so far."It's always hard to quantify its impact on sales," says Farstad. "Store owners who call us and ask for more displays really serve as our testament that the program is working. Our main challenge has always been brand presentation through all our distribution. To have made this big of a dent in the past four years has been amazing."

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