Company: Shipton’s Big R
Location: Montana & Wyoming
Stores: 6
Founded: 1949
Store Focus: Retail farm & ranch
Shipton’s Big R farm and ranch stores serve blue-collar families in the mountain states of Montana and Wyoming. With a wide selection of footwear available to their customers, they saw an opportunity in Thorogood® to add a footwear line that wasn’t well represented in their area. With a great reputation throughout the United States and a history of over 130 years of domestic manufacturing, Thorogood® provided their customers with an assortment of comfortable, durable footwear that has grown to be a top brand in the footwear category in all six Shipton’s locations.
THE STORY OF SHIPTON’S BIG R
Shipton’s Big R has been around since 1949, and a member of Mid-States Distributing for 60 of their 74 years in business. With six stores spanning across Wyoming and Montana, their 250+ employees serve ranchers, farmers, homeowners, outdoorsmen and pet-lovers alike. Shipton’s Big R has been voted Best Farm & Ranch Store by the Billings Gazette for several years running. The business saw an opportunity for growth in their market and turned to Thorogood® for its quality product and reputation in the industry.
THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTRACT NEW CUSTOMERS WITH THOROGOOD®
Shipton’s Big R carries a wide variety of footwear catering to people with hard work ethics in its six stores, but they weren’t familiar with Thorogood®. Upon doing some research, they realized the brand had a strong reputation around the country, but wasn’t well represented in their area. This presented them with the opportunity to expand their assortment and attract additional customers by making Thorogood® footwear available to their customers.
WHY SHIPTON’S BIG R CHOSE THOROGOOD®
The Shipton’s buyer had never heard of Thorogood® until a competitor presented them with a product they thought could compete with Thorogood® business. Out of curiosity they did some research and were impressed by the brand’s longevity, quality and social media following. The Thorogood® assortment in Shipton’s Big R stores features a selection of footwear that has been trusted by generations of blue-collar workers for their quality and comfort. “Our customers appreciate the strength, comfort and DNA that goes into the Thorogood boots that they love to wear,” said Jay Carroll at Shipton’s Big R. Thorogood® boots have been manufactured in Wisconsin for over 130 years and are a great fit for any job big or small.
THE RESULTS
Shipton’s Big R has seen a 39% increase in Thorogood sales in all six locations in the last 12 months and continues to see growth in Thorogood sales year over year. “Our first year we had pretty good success to start off, and have continually grown in Thorogood sales year over year.”
ARE YOU READY TO GROW YOUR COMPANY?
If you are interested in talking to a sales representative, please contact Ty Harris at tharris@weinbrennerusa.com