ECCO Shoes
ECCO Sko A/S is a privately held Danish footwear company that designs, manufactures, and retails comfort-oriented shoes, golf and outdoor footwear, bags, and accessories through approximately 2,200 shops in 100+ countries via a vertically integrated "cow to customer" model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersTønder, Denmark
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What ECCO Shoes does
ECCO Sko A/S is a privately held Danish footwear company headquartered in Bredebro, Denmark, founded in 1963 by Birte and Karl Toosbuy. It designs, manufactures, and sells comfort-oriented footwear and accessories for men, women, and children, with specialty lines for golf, outdoor, and walking use cases. The company maintains a vertically integrated "cow to customer" model that spans raw materials through retail, including owned leather tanneries in Indonesia, Thailand, the Netherlands, and China producing proprietary ECCO Leather (with technologies such as DriTan™ water-efficient tanning, FLUIDFORM soling, and Aerolyn compostable leather), shoe manufacturing, wholesale distribution, e-commerce, and an integrated B2B leather sales operation under the ECCO Leather division.
Its product portfolio spans six core categories — Women's, Men's, and Kids' footwear, Outdoor, Golf, and Bags & Accessories — plus shoe care consumables, with branded sub-collections such as BIOM, Soft 7, ULT-TRN, Terra Sandals, and Terracruise II. Notable technical components include the DriTan™ process that reduces water consumption versus conventional tanning while preserving quality, and FLUIDFORM sole construction with proprietary cleaning protocols. Aerolyn leather extends the materials portfolio into certified compostable, chrome-free, organic finishes used in premium bags.
ECCO generates revenue through four channels: owned retail stores (approximately 2,200 shops globally via subsidiaries, joint ventures, and distributors), wholesale through third-party retailers and distributors in more than 100 countries, direct-to-consumer regional e-commerce sites, and B2B leather sales via ECCO Leather. Marketing spans owned websites, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn. The company reports 20,000+ employees and operates a wholly owned group structure (ECCO Holding A/S) with no parent or public listing; Steen Borgholm serves as CEO.
ECCO Shoes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ECCO Shoes
- Legal name
- ECCO Sko A/S
- Website
- http://global.ecco.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- ECCO Sko A/S is a privately held Danish footwear company that designs, manufactures, and retails comfort-oriented shoes, golf and outdoor footwear, bags, and accessories through approximately 2,200 shops in 100+ countries via a vertically integrated "cow to customer" model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ECCO Shoes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Footwear
- NAICS
- Footwear Manufacturing (3162), Shoe Retailers (4582), Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing (31611), Shoe Retailers (458210)
- SIC
- Footwear, (No Rubber) (3140), Leather & Leather Products (3100), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949), Retail-Shoe Stores (5661)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Golf Equipment, Apparel & Pro Shop Retail (CRAMABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Golf Footwear & Apparel Retail (CRAMACAH), Outdoor Performance Footwear & Apparel Retail (Trail/Hike) (CRAMACAI), Sporting Goods, Outdoor & Fitness DTC (CRAFACAJ)
Keywords
Where ECCO Shoes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tønder
- HQ country
- Denmark
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
ECCO Shoes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail Sales: ECCO generates revenue through owned retail stores operating under the ECCO brand. The company manages approximately 2,200 shops worldwide through a combination of owned subsidiaries, joint ventures, and third-party distributors.
- Wholesale Distribution: ECCO distributes products through wholesale channels to third-party retailers and distributors globally, maintaining sales in more than 100 countries.
- E-commerce: Direct-to-consumer online sales through regional ECCO websites, allowing customers to purchase footwear, bags, and accessories directly from the company.
- ECCO Leather (B2B): ECCO operates award-winning tanneries producing leather for external customers, offering secure production capabilities and scale to suit growing customer needs as well as seamless communication with shoe and bag making factories.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
ECCO Shoes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ECCO designs, manufactures, and retails premium comfort footwear and leather accessories for men, women, and children, as well as specialized golf and outdoor performance shoes. The company operates a fully vertically integrated value chain from raw leather tanning through its own tanneries to shoe manufacturing, wholesale distribution, and approximately 2,200 owned retail stores worldwide. ECCO also sells premium tanned leather to external footwear and bag manufacturers through its ECCO Leather B2B division.
Product overview
ECCO is a global footwear company that owns and manages every aspect of the value chain from tanneries to retail. The company offers a diversified portfolio of products organized into six main categories: Women's footwear (Shoes, Heels, Boots, Sandals, Flats) with collections like ECCO Sneakers, ECCO Soft 7, ECCO Gruuv, and ECCO Cozmo; Men's footwear (Shoes, Boots, Sandals) with collections like ECCO Formal, ECCO Sneakers, and ECCO Soft 7; Kids' footwear for boys and girls including the BIOM collection; Outdoor performance footwear including the ECCO BIOM Collection, ECCO ULT-TRN, ECCO Terra Sandals, and ECCO Terracruise II; Specialized Golf footwear; and Bags & Accessories including leather bags (Sail Bag, Tote, Hobo, Fortune Bag, Bowling Bag, Camera Bag, Pinch Bag) and shoe care products. The company also operates its own tanneries using proprietary DriTan water-efficient technology. Products are sold through approximately 2,200 shops worldwide via wholesale, retail, and e-commerce channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ECCO Ladies' Collection
- ECCO Men's Collection
- ECCO Kids' Collection
- ECCO Outdoor Collection
- ECCO Golf Collection
- ECCO Bags & Accessories
- ECCO Shoe Care
- ECCO Leather (B2B)
Companies that use ECCO Shoes
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ECCO Shoes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
ECCO Shoes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ECCO LeathercoreECCO Leather operates as an internal division of the ECCO Group, managing award-winning tanneries in Indonesia, Thailand, The Netherlands, and China. The division offers secure production capabilities and scale to external customers while providing seamless communication with shoe and bag making factories.
- ECCO Digital ShowroomcoreDigital B2B platform enabling wholesale customers and business partners to access and order ECCO product catalogs, streamlining the B2B sales process.
- ECCO Conference CentreminorConference facilities located in Tønder, Denmark, featuring modern facilities at the ECCO Conference Centre Tønder and historic presence at Bjerremark, located 5 minutes apart for guest use.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
ECCO Shoes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Skechers: Skechers is a large global comfort and athletic footwear brand that overlaps with ECCO's comfort positioning in casual and walking segments. While broader in athletic/sneaker styles, Skechers directly competes for the comfort-focused consumer across global retail and wholesale channels.
- New Balance: New Balance is a major athletic and lifestyle footwear brand with significant in-house manufacturing, similar to ECCO's vertical integration ethos. While broader in athletic categories, it competes in walking, lifestyle comfort, and premium casual segments that overlap with ECCO.
- Timberland (VF Corporation): Timberland is a heritage outdoor footwear and apparel brand owned by VF Corporation. It overlaps with ECCO's Outdoor, BIOM, and walking categories through premium boots and outdoor footwear, serving similar consumers through global wholesale and retail.
Direct peers
- Rockport: Rockport specializes in comfort dress and casual footwear, traditionally using proprietary cushioning technology. It competes directly with ECCO in men's and women's comfort dress/casual categories, often carried in similar department stores and specialty footwear retailers.
- Geox: Geox is an Italian footwear brand built around patented 'breathing shoe' technology, combining comfort technology with style for men, women, and kids. It competes directly with ECCO in comfort-focused casual and dress footwear across European and global markets.
- Hush Puppies (Wolverine World Wide): Hush Puppies is a heritage comfort footwear brand under Wolverine World Wide, with a similar classic comfort positioning to ECCO across casual, dress, and outdoor casual categories. It competes for the same comfort-first consumer in wholesale and retail channels.
- Clarks: Clarks is a heritage British comfort footwear brand offering dress, casual, and kids' shoes with similar 'comfort + classic style' positioning to ECCO. Both brands target similar adult and family comfort segments through wholesale, retail, and e-commerce channels globally.
- Allen Edmonds: Allen Edmonds is a premium men's leather dress and casual footwear brand with in-house U.S. manufacturing and craftsmanship emphasis. Comparable to ECCO's premium leather footwear and men's formal/casual lines, especially given ECCO's own tannery integration.
- Birkenstock: Birkenstock is a premium comfort and orthopedic footwear brand with strong brand recognition and a vertically integrated production model similar to ECCO's. Both compete in comfort, casual, and walking categories with comparable premium positioning and global retail/wholesale distribution.
Emerging players
- Hoka (Deckers Outdoor): Hoka is a performance running and walking footwear brand owned by Deckers Outdoor, focused on maximalist cushioning technology for runners and walkers. It overlaps with ECCO's walking and outdoor performance lines and represents a fast-growing competitive threat in comfort performance categories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ECCO Shoes social profiles
Digital presenceECCO Shoes compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ECCO Shoes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ECCO Shoes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ECCO Shoes subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
ECCO Shoes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ECCO Shoes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ECCO Shoes
What does ECCO Shoes do?
ECCO designs, manufactures, and retails premium comfort footwear and leather accessories for men, women, and children, as well as specialized golf and outdoor performance shoes. The company operates a fully vertically integrated value chain from raw leather tanning through its own tanneries to shoe manufacturing, wholesale distribution, and approximately 2,200 owned retail stores worldwide. ECCO also sells premium tanned leather to external footwear and bag manufacturers through its ECCO Leather B2B division.
Is ECCO Shoes a public or private company?
ECCO Shoes is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was ECCO Shoes founded?
ECCO Shoes was founded in 1990. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is ECCO Shoes based?
ECCO Shoes is headquartered in Tønder, Denmark, in the Europe region.
How does ECCO Shoes make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution, E-commerce and ECCO Leather (B2B).
Who are ECCO Shoes's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Skechers, New Balance and Timberland (VF Corporation). Direct peers are Rockport, Geox, Hush Puppies (Wolverine World Wide), Clarks, Allen Edmonds and Birkenstock. Hoka (Deckers Outdoor) is listed as an emerging player.
Does ECCO Shoes have an API?
No public API is recorded for ECCO Shoes.
What industry is ECCO Shoes in?
ECCO Shoes's product category is Footwear. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMABAG, Golf Equipment, Apparel & Pro Shop Retail, with a secondary code of CRAMACAH, Golf Footwear & Apparel Retail. Its NAICS code is 3162 and its SIC code is 3140.