Believe it or not, Danish footwear brand ECCO calls itself the second-biggest shoe manufacturer in the world. The company has produced more than 350 million pair since its founding in 1963.
This includes casual, dress, golf, running, and outdoor models, both boots and shoes, a few of which we’ve tested as of late at GearJunkie to interesting results. (See “BIOM shoe represents ‘one of the weirdest footwear trends’.”)
ECCO is noteworthy in that it is vertically integrated, owning everything from leather tanneries, to factories, to its high-end retail stores.
This month marks the company’s 50th anniversary, and with it we decided to run through some stats on the history and current state of one of the most unique shoe companies on the planet. —Stephen Regenold
20,000: Worldwide employees
2: Rank, according to company, in worldwide footwear sales volume
1963: Year company founded in Denmark
50: Years in business
350 million: Pairs of shoes produced
4,000: Branded sales locations
94: Countries where ECCO is sold
1990: Year ECCO USA launched
5,500: Employees at a single factory complex in Indonesia
4: Rank among makers of golf shoes
220: $ price tag of ECCO BIOM A running shoe in 2010
210: Number of people who “touch” each ECCO shoe as it’s being made
—GearJunkie reviewed ECCO footwear in the post “Boot Test! Hike to High Falls in Iceland.”
