ITOCHU Announces Acquisition of Exclusive Import, Sales and Master Licensing Rights for US Brand "Etonic"

September 9, 2016

ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter “ITOCHU”) announced today that it has acquired exclusive import, sale and master licensing rights for US shoe brand Etonic in the Japanese market. ITOCHU will begin its rollout of the brand in Japan launch the 2017 Spring collection through Sankyo Sports Co., Ltd (headquartered in Taito-ku, Tokyo; Yasuaki Yamaguchi, President; hereinafter “Sankyo Sports”).

Etonic brand founder Charles A. Eaton established a small shoe factory in Massachusetts, USA, in 1876. It was during this turbulent period after the end of the American Civil War that he began providing shoes with superb safety, heat-retention and water-resistance, aimed primarily at laborers. His venture would become the roots and foundation of the Etonic brand. Later, in 1945, the brand started production of golf shoes, and raised its level of recognition in the field of golf by welcoming brand ambassadors such as the professional golfer Arnold Palmer. During the 1970s, Etonic also began to develop running shoes. Today, the brand has expanded its lineup to include all manner of athletic footwear, including tennis, basketball and bowling shoes.

In recent years, the sports shoes industry has seen a spate of reproductions and revivals of classic sports shoe models that were popular in the past. The Etonic brand also has extensive archives dating back over its 140-year history, and its revival-edition lifestyle shoes have also received high critical acclaim from within the industry. In its launch of the Etonic brand into the Japanese market, ITOCHU will begin with the launch of imported reproduction/revival models, primarily targeting stylistically refined men and women between their 20s and 50s with fashionable lifestyle preferences. Utilizing Sankyo Sports’ extensive experience and sales networks in the sports-related field, ITOCHU will initially aim to rollout and expand sales of the brand with a primary focus on high-sensitivity select shops, specialty stores and sports shops nationwide. In the future, ITOCHU will seek to further increase brand recognition through initiatives such as Japan-only limited edition exclusives and collaborative products, and aim to achieve annual sales of 1 billion yen (retail sales base) by 2020.