Wolverine World Wide

We make great things. Thoughtful, trend-right, versatile, innovative products and experiences that improve our consumers' lives. Every day matters. Make amazing every day. Progress every day. Grow every day. For a better tomorrow. Our consumers are moved to live healthier and more productive lives. Our brands help them to do just that. And we are inspired by them to get better every day ourselves, and make those around us better. We make great things. Thoughtful, trend-right, versatile, innovative products and experiences that improve our consumers' lives. Every day matters. Make amazing every day. Progress every day. Grow every day. For a better tomorrow. Our consumers are moved to live healthier and more productive lives. Our brands help them to do just that. And we are inspired by them to get better every day ourselves, and make those around us better. A legacy more than a century in the making continues here, rooted in craftsmanship and progress as Wolverine Worldwide grows as a global brand builder. The next chapter is the best one. G.A. Krause and Fredrick Hirth establish the Hirth Krause Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, laying the foundation for Wolverine Worldwide’s craftsmanship-led legacy. Krause expands the Rogue River Electric Light & Power Company, bringing electricity to Rockford, Michigan, to support its new manufacturing operations and the local community. The company opens its first shoe manufacturing plant in Rockford, Michigan, marking its transition into full-scale footwear production. Krause and his son Victor launch the Wolverine Tanning Company to supply high‑quality leather for its expanding footwear business. The Wolverine name is first used for shoes crafted from the company’s signature horsehide leather. The company’s famed “1,000 Mile Boots” help drive a 700% surge in earnings during this period. The company unifies operations and adopts the new name Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Corporation. Wolverine becomes one of the first U.S. companies to offer employees stock ownership, pioneering modern profit sharing. During World War II, Wolverine creates pigskin gloves and develops what becomes known as pigskin suede for the U.S. Navy. Wolverine introduces Hush Puppies, a casual shoe line that revolutionizes comfort footwear and becomes a national sensation. The company officially becomes Wolverine World Wide, Inc. (1964) and begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange (1965). Wolverine launches Caterpillar, Inc.® work boots under license, expanding into industrial and lifestyle footwear. The company acquires outdoor performance brand Merrell, accelerating global expansion in trail and outdoor footwear. Wolverine deepens its portfolio by acquiring the global license for Harley‑Davidson Motor Company footwear. Wolverine acquires Saucony as part of a major $1.23 billion transaction that also includes Keds, Stride Rite, and Sperry, significantly expanding its performance and lifestyle offerings. Wolverine acquires premium women’s activewear brand Sweaty Betty for $410 million, expanding the company into apparel and strengthening its digital‑first strategy. Wolverine Worldwide is recognized as 2025 Company of the Year by Footwear News, honoring its transformation, brand resurgence, and industry‑leading innovation. Our Vision only becomes real through the principles that guide how we work, create, and move forward every day. We believe in the power of WOLVER1NE. We value every perspective–of our team members, our partners, and our consumers–and we don’t let each other down. Be better together. We believe in always asking why. Learn every day–picking up new insights from the global marketplace and our consumers. Study today’s trends and look around corners for tomorrow’s. Be curious. We believe speed, agility, and relentless problem-solving are crucial to staying ahead. Our industry and consumer move fast, and we have to move faster. Don’t wait. Let’s go! Tom Long is the retired CEO

Our vision is to be recognized as "The World's Premier Non-Athletic Footwear Company." To reach this goal, the entire organization has embraced the following strategic principles designed to generate stockholder value through consistent and growing economic returns: build the strongest brand portfolio in the industry; accelerate our growth in the women's segment of the market; create an environment that enables the Company to attract and retain the best people in the industry; ensure the entire organization is following a market-driven and consumer-focused operating philosophy; provide "Best in Class" service to our customers. G.A. Krause and his uncle, Fred Hirth, found the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Hirth-Krause Company, selling leather and shoe accessories at wholesale and purchasing finished shoes for retail sale. Krause establishes a shoe factory in nearby Rockford, placing his eldest son, Otto, in charge; Hirth-Krause and the shoe factory are later operated under the name Michigan Shoe Makers. Krause and younger son Victor create Wolverine Tanning Company, also based in Rockford, to supply leather to the shoemaking business. Michigan Shoe Makers and Wolverine Tanning are united to form Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Corporation. Company goes public with a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Company enters specialty retailing with the launch of the Little Red Shoe House chain. Wolverine enters the athletic shoe sector with the purchase of the Brooks brand. Late 1980s:Company begins making hiking and outdoor boots under both the Wolverine and the licensed Coleman brand. Early 1990s:Retailing operations are scaled back and the Brooks brand is divested, with the company intent on focusing on the Wolverine and Hush Puppies brands. More than 100 retail outlets are closed; the remaining 60 are revamped into factory outlets. Wolverine acquires the worldwide license to market footwear under the Caterpillar name. Another license deal leads to the debut of the Harley-Davidson footwear line. Wolverine agrees to acquire Sebago Inc., maker of penny loafers and docksiders boat shoes. Wolverine World Wide, Inc. is one of the world's leading producers and marketers of nonathletic footwear, including casual, work, and outdoor shoes and boots as well as moccasins and slippers. The company sells more than 37 million pairs of footwear per year, under such brands as Wolverine (work, outdoor sport, and rugged casual categories), Bates (uniform), Hy-Test (work), Merrell (hiking, rugged outdoor, and outdoor-inspired casual), and the famous Hush Puppies (casual). Wolverine produces additional lines under brands licensed from other firms, including Caterpillar, Coleman, Harley-Davidson, Karen Neuburger, and Stanley. More than 90 percent of the company's revenues are generated from the sale of branded footwear. The company's products are sold worldwide through department stores, footwear chains, specialty and independent retailers, and international licensees and distributors. More than 20 percent of sales originate outside the United States, the vast majority coming from Europe and Canada. Other Wolverine businesses contribute about 10 percent of revenues; these include a pigskin tannery in the company's headquarters city of Rockford in west Michigan; a licensing operation through which the Wolverine and Hush Puppies brands appear on nonfootwear products produced by other companies, including apparel, eyewear, watches, and plush toys; and a retailing business, which operates more than 60 factory outlet stores under the Hush Puppies and Family name as well as a couple of Track 'n Trail mall-based stores. The company also maintains several web sites selling its footwear directly to consumers. On the manufacturing side, 85 percent of the company's shoes are sourced via third-party manufacturers mainly located in the Asia-Pacific region and Central and South America; the balance are produced at company-owned facilities in Michigan, Ark