Crocs sparked a minor panic among fans of its colorful plastic clogs by announcing on Wednesday that the company is closing the last of its manufacturing facilities. But mule-lovers can rest easy — the footwear maker isn’t going out of business. Rather, Crocs — which is profitable — is closing factories and shutting some stores in a move to cut costs and boost earnings.
Wall Street is pleased. Crocs shares, which have risen 49 percent this year, nosed up further on Thursday.
Most Crocs are already made in factories not owned by the shoe maker. Closing the last of its company-owned facilities, in Mexico and Italy, is part of a plan to completely outsource Crocs’ production, a spokesperson for the company said.
The company issued a statement Thursday afternoon rebutting rumors that it was shutting down.
“[T]here have been multiple media reports that Crocs is winding down production in our owned manufacturing facilities,” the statement said, in part. “While accurate, some people have interpreted that to mean that Crocs will no longer be making and selling shoes. Quite the contrary, Crocs will continue to innovate, design and produce the most comfortable shoes on the planet. As we streamline our business to meet growing demand for Crocs, we’re simply shifting production to third parties to increase our manufacturing capacity.”