Caleres

What Caleres does

Caleres is a global multi-brand footwear company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and listed on the NYSE under the ticker CAL. Founded in 1878 (originally as Brown Shoe Company), it operates 14 owned footwear brands organized into Lead Brands (Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman, Stuart Weitzman, Allen Edmonds, Naturalizer, Vionic) and Portfolio Brands (Dr. Scholl's Shoes, Franco Sarto, LifeStride, Favorite Daughter, Vince, Veronica Beard, Ryka, Blowfish Malibu). The company reaches consumers through approximately 1,000 owned retail stores across the U.S. and Canada, 15 owned e-commerce sites, and a wholesale network that includes Nordstrom, Anthropologie, and Browns Canada; operations span 50+ countries with roughly 10,000 employees and 40M+ loyalty members.

Name

Caleres

Legal name

Caleres, Inc.

Website

https://caleres.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1878

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Caleres is a global multi-brand footwear company operating 14 owned brands across mass, premium, and luxury segments through ~1,000 retail stores, 15 e-commerce sites, and wholesale partnerships in 50+ countries. Founded 1878, the St. Louis-based company serves 40M+ loyalty members with approximately $2.8 billion in annual revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Footwear

NAICS

Shoe Retailers (45821), Footwear Manufacturing (3162), Footwear Merchant Wholesalers (424340)

SIC

Retail-Shoe Stores (5661), Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140)

akta.pro primary industry

Casual & Lifestyle Footwear (CRAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Footwear (CRAAACAH), Footwear Accessories & Care Retail (Insoles, Laces, Shoe Care) (CRAAADAL)

Keywords

• Footwear retail
• Branded footwear portfolio
• Comfort footwear
• Luxury footwear
• Athletic footwear

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales (Famous Footwear): Revenue from nearly 1,000 Caleres-owned retail stores across U.S. and Canada, including Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman, Stuart Weitzman, Allen Edmonds, and Naturalizer locations. Famously You Rewards program with 40 million loyalty members drives customer retention.
2. E-commerce/Direct-to-Consumer: Revenue from 15 owned e-commerce sites including FamousFootwear.com, SamEdelman.com, StuartWeitzman.com, AllenEdmonds.com, Naturalizer.com, Vionicshoes.com, and other brand sites. Double-digit growth in owned e-commerce reported.
3. Wholesale Distribution: Revenue from selling to department stores, specialty retailers, and independent retailers through wholesale partners. Products sold through major retailers including Nordstrom, Anthropologie, and wholesale partner network.
4. Licensing Royalties: Revenue from licensed brand partnerships including Favorite Daughter footwear collection (launched 2025 with Launch of the Year award) and Veronica Beard footwear line under Caleres license.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Caleres is a global footwear company operating a multi-brand portfolio of branded footwear spanning mass to luxury price segments. The company designs, sources, manufactures (at Allen Edmonds' Port Washington, Wisconsin factory), and distributes footwear under brands including Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman, Stuart Weitzman, Allen Edmonds, Naturalizer, Vionic, Dr. Scholl's Shoes, Franco Sarto, LifeStride, Favorite Daughter, Vince, Veronica Beard, Ryka, and Blowfish Malibu. Products are sold through nearly 1,000 company-owned retail stores, 15 owned e-commerce sites, and wholesale distribution to department and specialty stores across 50+ countries.

Product overview

Caleres is a global footwear company operating a multi-brand portfolio strategy with two organizational segments: Lead Brands (Famous Footwear retail chain, Sam Edelman, Stuart Weitzman, Allen Edmonds, Naturalizer, and Vionic) and Portfolio Brands (Dr. Scholl's Shoes, Franco Sarto, LifeStride, Favorite Daughter, Vince, Veronica Beard, Ryka, and Blowfish Malibu). The company also operates B2B platforms including Connect, NuOrder, and Cloud for Customer Payments (CCP) for wholesale partner engagement. Founded in 1878 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, Caleres reaches consumers through nearly 1,000 company-owned retail locations, 15 owned e-commerce sites, department and specialty stores, and partner websites. The portfolio spans multiple consumer segments from luxury (Stuart Weitzman, Allen Edmonds) to comfort (Naturalizer, Vionic, Dr. Scholl's) to athletic-inspired (Ryka) to contemporary fashion (Sam Edelman, Favorite Daughter, Vince, Veronica Beard), with distribution across 50+ countries and approximately $2.8 billion in revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lead Brands: Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman, Stuart Weitzman, Allen Edmonds, Naturalizer, and Vionic form the core lead brands of Caleres
• Portfolio Brands

Products and services

• Famous Footwear Retail chain offering top casual and athletic brands for the whole family across nearly 900 stores in the U.S. and Canada and online. Features brands like Nike, Vans, adidas, Crocs, Birkenstock, Timberland, Dr. Martens, and Converse, along with Caleres-owned brands. Famously You Rewards program with 40 million+ members.
• Sam Edelman Aspirational luxury footwear and lifestyle brand founded in 2004. Synonymous with timeless American elegance, offering modern lifestyle footwear and accessories. Known for iconic styles including the Hazel dress pump (#1 in US) and the Bow Ballet (5+ million pairs sold worldwide).
• Stuart Weitzman Global luxury footwear brand founded in 1986, acquired by Caleres from Tapestry in August 2025 for approximately $120.2 million. Combines artisanal Spanish craftsmanship with precise engineering. Recently expanded to include handbags, eyewear, and men's footwear under the 'Stuart Weitzman New York' initiative.
• Allen Edmonds Handcrafted American luxury men's dress shoes built in Port Washington, Wisconsin, with each pair touched by 133 craftspeople. Features signature 360° Goodyear bench welt construction allowing refurbishment. Includes the Reserve Collection and sustainable recrafting program that has saved over 500,000 styles from landfills.
• Naturalizer Comfort-focused women's footwear brand founded in 1927, designed to the contours of a woman's foot. Offers sizes from 5M-12W with all-day wearability. Includes sub-brands 27 Edit and Soul.
• Vionic Solution-driven alignment footwear brand powered by proprietary Vio Motion Technology. Built by biomechanics and engineered for natural movement and alignment. Offers American Podiatric Medical Association Seal of Acceptance on many products.
• Dr. Scholl's Shoes Heritage comfort brand founded a century ago by Dr. William Scholl. Known for the Original Sandal (1959). Sustainability initiatives include tree planting through Trees for the Future (135,000+ trees planted) and diverting 126 million plastic bottles from landfills into recycled polyester linings since 2018.
• Franco Sarto Italian-inspired footwear brand honoring Venetian cobbler heritage. Creative Director Gionata Pagni creates shoes with intentional design ethos focused on timelessness. Designs in Venice studio with sumptuous leathers combining craftsman skill and artist passion.
• LifeStride Performance-tested comfort brand with 1+ million steps tested on every shoe. Features Soft System comfort technology with all-day cushion, endless support, and flexible outsole. Offers versatile style under $100.
• Favorite Daughter Women's fashion and footwear brand co-founded by Erin and Sara Foster. Shoe collection ranges from $195-$495 for heels, boots, and loafers. Target of $150 million in retail sales.
• Vince Los Angeles-based elevated yet understated lifestyle brand for women and men. Creates uncomplicated yet refined ready-to-wear, shoes, home, and handbags inspired by California origins.
• Veronica Beard Women's fashion brand featuring feminine silhouettes and refined tailoring in go-to silhouettes. Founded in 2010 by sisters-in-law Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard. Designed intuitively for real life empowering women from day to night.
• Ryka Athletic footwear brand exclusively for women, the first ever to create athletic shoes specifically for a woman's unique foot shape, muscle movement and build. Features rykäQ Technology based on Q angle differences in women. #2 walking brand in the country led by Devotion sneaker series with APMA Seal of Acceptance.
• Blowfish Malibu Southern California lifestyle footwear brand offering youthful, laidback aesthetic at affordable prices. Born out of Malibu with eco-conscious materials designed with care. Features trendy but casual and cool styles for women and kids.
• Connect (B2B Wholesale Portal) Premier B2B business-to-business portal for Caleres wholesale customers. Allows retailers to shop product and check availability 24/7/365, purchase and ship products, review orders/confirmations/shipments/invoices/payments, download high quality product images and UPCs, and make payments.
• NuOrder Virtual showroom and catalog solution for wholesale partners. Allows retailers to view virtual showrooms and line sheets 24/7/365, download high quality product images, access live inventory updates, place and manage orders for shipment, and collaborate on merchandising.
• Cloud for Customer Payments (CCP) SAP-based payment management solution enabling retailers to make payments, select open bills for payment and credit items, view open and cleared items with aging details, make ad hoc payments without invoices, and manage account master data including address, contact, bank, and credit card information.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of Caleres-owned products contain at least one environmentally preferred material (2024)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cash App AfterpaycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerExpanded partnership bringing Afterpay's Buy Now, Pay Later payment options to Caleres' portfolio of footwear brands in the United States. Customers can use Pay in 4 and Pay Monthly options online and in select stores across brands including Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman, Allen Edmonds, Naturalizer, Vionic, Bzees, and others. Follows successful initial rollout demonstrating customer demand for flexible payment options.
• Trees for the FutureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Scholl's Shoes partnership donating a tree for certain products sold from the Original Collection. Over 135,000 trees planted to date. Trees for the Future's Forest Garden approach helps plant trees to restore farmlands and trains communities on sustainable land use.
• Soles4SoulscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShoe recycling partner with $1 million commitment focused on Shoes 4EveryKid program to help children in need. Recycling donation bins placed in most Famous Footwear stores. Goal is raising awareness about shoe recycling with secondhand goods destined for reuse.
• Ticket to Dream FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFamous Footwear partnership with national network working with over 200 foster care non-profits to provide resources and experiences to 425,000 foster kids. Raised over $4 million and donated 50,000+ pairs of shoes to foster children.
• Leather Working GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaleres joined Leather Working Group to support more responsible leather manufacturing. Only Silver and Gold certified leather qualifies as Caleres environmentally preferred material. LWG audit standard assesses environmental performance and compliance of tanneries.
• FDRA (Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaleres participates in and helps lead industry-wide programs through FDRA including Shoe Waste Program and Responsible Factory Program advancing environmental and social responsibility in the supply chain.
• NuOrdercoreTechnology or IntegrationVirtual showroom and catalog solution for wholesale partners allowing 24/7 access to view virtual showrooms, line sheets, high quality product images, live inventory updates, order placement and management, and merchandising collaboration.
• SAP Cloud for Customer PaymentscoreTechnology or IntegrationSAP's Cloud for Customer Payments (CCP) provides one-stop solution for managing account payments including making payments, viewing open/cleared items, ad hoc payments, and managing account master data.
• Two Ten Footwear FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaleres supports the Two Ten Footwear Foundation which provides support for footwear employees in their careers and personal lives.
• Women In The Footwear Industry (WIFI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCaleres supports WIFI organization working to advance women in the footwear industry.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tapestry, Inc. Multi-brand fashion/lifestyle conglomerate (Coach, Kate Spade) that sold Stuart Weitzman to Caleres in 2025. Most directly comparable as a publicly traded multi-brand portfolio operator spanning handbags, footwear, and accessories across price tiers.
• Wolverine World Wide: Multi-brand footwear portfolio operator (Merrell, Saucony, Sperry, Hush Puppies) with wholesale, DTC, and international distribution. Closest pure-play comparable to Caleres' portfolio strategy across owned brands and channels.
• Deckers Outdoor: Multi-brand footwear company (UGG, HOKA, Teva) with both wholesale and DTC distribution. Comparable in acquiring and scaling premium footwear brands and operating a vertically aligned brand portfolio.
• Steve Madden: Designer, marketer, and retailer of fashion footwear and accessories with owned brands plus wholesale distribution. Closely aligned business model across contemporary women's footwear and wholesale department-store channel.
• Genesco Inc. Footwear-focused retailer and brand operator (Journeys, Schuh, Johnston & Murphy). Directly comparable in managing a multi-brand footwear portfolio spanning retail chains and owned brands.
• Skechers USA: Global footwear brand and retailer with comfort and value positioning that mirrors Caleres brands like Vionic, Dr. Scholl's, Naturalizer, and LifeStride across both wholesale and DTC channels.
• Crocs, Inc. Brand-led footwear company with strong wholesale plus DTC operations. Comparable in single-brand dominance strategy, value-positioning, and global distribution model overlapping Caleres' Famous Footwear segment.
• Birkenstock Holding: Premium footwear brand with vertical manufacturing, strong DTC and growing wholesale. Comparable in vertical integration (Allen Edmonds), brand-led premium positioning, and omnichannel retail growth.
• Foot Locker: Multi-brand footwear retailer with ~2,500 stores globally carrying Nike, adidas, and other brands also sold at Famous Footwear. Direct comparable in operating a multi-brand footwear retail chain at scale across North America.

Broad incumbents

• Dillard's, Inc. Department store chain with a major footwear department and key Caleres wholesale partner. Relevant as a broader incumbent in the same mid-market and family consumer segments Caleres targets through Famous Footwear and wholesale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/caleresinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/caleresinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10111

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A8 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Caleres