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Offered Without Comment: Men’s Wearhouse wants to buy Allen Edmonds?

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Wall Street Journal: “Men’s Wearhouse Interested in Allen Edmonds”

Many thanks to Pete S. who sent in the style tip on this one.

Men’s Wearhouse Inc. is pursuing a possible purchase of dress-shoe maker Allen Edmonds Corp., according to a person familiar with the matter. Such a deal could complicate Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.’s unsolicited bid for Men’s Wearhouse.

– The Wall Street Journal

 

Port Washington-based Allen Edmonds, the maker of high-end men’s dress shoes, is owned by private equity firm Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison of Minneapolis. Reuters reported in July that Goldner Hawn was looking to sell, but Paul Grangaard, Allen Edmonds president and CEO, denied the report. He said the company was actually seeking new capital to help it expand, although he didn’t rule out a sale.

Grangaard could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

– The Milwaukee Business Journal

 

Comments

  2. I think the “Odd Couple” clip counts as a “comment.” (-: An apropos one, I believe. Let’s hope this is just a rumor.

  7. Please no. If this happens they could go the way of florsheim and j&m. Hear come corrected grain square toed shoes. I don’t think AE would let it happen though.

  10. Unless you currently own a pair of AE, have owned a pair of AE in the past, or are currently/will be in the market for AE shoes…then I assure you there is no need to complain. This doesnt affect you.

  11. J&M does have some okay shoes though and I’ve got a couple. Of course I used to work for them and got mine at a steep discount. I wouldn’t pay full retail for them, that is for sure.

  14. For those of us who do own them though…
    I sent in a pair a few weeks ago for recrafting. They didn’t make it through the process. AE was very professional and offered to replace them with any of the current line up to what the model would have run if it were still in production. I’m hoping to get a pair of Vernons soon.
    If they do make a deal and just let the company run itself with an infusion of capital things could be fine. If MW becomes a retailer that would be a huge increase in the availability of quality shoes.

  16. A large part of AE’s value comes from their reputation for craftsmanship and US based manufacture. A buyer, even one as misguided stylistically as Men’s Wearhouse, should know not to mess with that. At least until they show any issues with profitability in the long run.

    Maybe AE aficionados across the country can band together and beat them to it. Joe! Unleash the Dappered signal!

  18. Lets hope this doesn’t happen. I find it hard to believe after reading the IAma on Reddit with Paul Grangaard. He seemed genuinely involved and devoted to the company . However, business is business, even though I find it difficult to believe that they’re struggling. I know myself, personally owning four pairs of AE shoes – part of what attracted me was the novelty and customer service that came with the brand. This isn’t the same image that Mens Warehouse really puts out. I hope that AE sees that and looks to what their brand loyalists prefer.

    For anyone interested – here was the Reddit AMA: http://www.reddit.com/r/malefashionadvice/comments/xmo2h/i_am_paul_grangaard_allen_edmonds_pres_ceo_amaa/

  19. If it goes through, I might buy a pair or two I’ve been holding out on and just take REALLY good care of them for the next 15 years. :-/

  21. You mean like JAB taking over and running you guys further in to the ground? I guarantee it.

  22. I don’t see it happening. Men’s wearhouse doesn’t have that much cash available and their stock price took a beating when zimmerman was ousted. Plus the JAB purchase. AE should remain independent, but I bet they are looking at ways to produce less expensive shoes (hence new capital) and need a partner.

  23. Men’s Wearhouse bought Joseph Abboud in August. Jos. Banks (so far) has rebuffed their takeover offer. You would think Men’s Wearhouse buying someone like Bachrach’s would make more sense than Allen Edmonds.

  24. I think I’m missing your point…obviously if someone doesn’t own the shoes now or doesn’t plan to in the future then the sale of a company wouldn’t affect that person. But all the people here who are complaining are owners or future owners, so it makes sense that they would complain.

  26. It’s possible this won’t make a difference for AE or the customer. AE isn’t exactly an independent shoe company anyway, so this would just be a different company profiting from AE. Or, Mens Wearhouse could just be buying the brand and totally kill the whole thing.

  27. Are you this nasty in real life, or is it just something you put on when you’re online? With the recent shift of power in MW, it’s entirely possible they’re going to change the corporate attitude and products they offer.

  28. I can’t help but disagree on that one man – the famed Cole Haan “air Colton” – (in my opinion the single greatest Ebay shoe ever made) has helped expose style, color, and a lil’ character to men’s style. Without nike’s influence and understanding of the consumer/marketing we’d still have “high quality” – “Low appeal” Cole Haans,

    now they’re out from under nike again – lets see how they do.

  29. BINGO.
    this guy gets it.

    Nothing is happening to our cherished A.E’s – if anything we should pray that it becomes easier to get them given Men’s Warehouse’s incredible penetration into the industry.

    They were misguided stylistically – and millenials stopped shopping there as soon as their prom was over – Of course their next move was to buy the company with a strong backbone and time-honored tradition.

    in short – buying a company doesn’t necessarily mean changing its practices –

  30. I’m down.
    Know that our unending praise will be yours should greatness befall Mens warehouse

    and our unbridled internet-fueled rage should anything bad occur.
    go in peace.

  31. Watch them either jack up the prices or reduce the quality/craftsmanship and lower the prices.

    Nothing good can come of a great shoemaker being swallowed by the most overpriced (for what they are) menswear store in the country.

  32. Maybe I’ve just been having awful luck, but AE has been delivering MW-quality product to me for months now.

    I bought a pair of Park Aves in Black at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and they were beautiful.

    Since then I have tried to purchase the grey Black Hills twice: the first pair were factory 2nds when they were supposed to be sending me clearance 1sts & the second pair were 1sts that were the quality of 2nds. I’ve returned both and gave up.

    Next, I bought a pair of Vernon’s during Macy’s VIP sale, and they had a dark discoloration over an internal seam that just looked like a blister on the shoe. Returned.

    Finally, I just bought a pair of the brown Fifth Aves during AE’s recent sale, and upon receiving them in the mail this week, I found the cap toe on the right shoe is crooked. Now I’m debating whether it is even worth exchanging or should just be returned.

    I know people on here live and die by AE, but I am very disappointed and basically ready to give up on he company.

  33. Not too long ago Nordstrom’s bought the controlling stock in Bonobos –
    Now you can find (and try on) those pants in any Nordstrom’s around – more importantly – they’ll honor every coupon you bring in for Bonobos – and have their own additional sale cycle to benefit from.

    This could be AMAZING for the dappered community – While Jos. A. Bank hasn’t really done anything with the legacy that is AE (they’re just sitting in the store, there’s no “experience” while shopping for a pair” ) Men’s warehouse might just once again cement themselves as “the first place to take your son when he gets his first job interview”

    The whole idea is to centralize excellence – to make oneself invaluable to the consumer. If your shoes suck – buy a new shoe company. If your suits are outdated…time to refresh.

    This may just mean that Corporate panicked, asking ” How do we get Millenials to buy our stuff!?” reading the Dappered blog – they found their answer.

    Allen Edmonds.

  34. AE is NOT independent, they are owned by a private equity firm. They only reason they still exist is that their revenue is still more valuable than their assets. The minute they are “worth more dead than alive” they are toast.

    It would actually be an improvement to see them owned by a healthy, larger industry player. But MW isn’t anywhere close to healthy. The concern is they’d siphon off cash to keep the polyester palace afloat, and slowly suffocate AE in the process.

    Also, AE does have a lower priced line of shoes, called “AE”, that are universally trashed for not being “real” AE’s.

  35. How is my comment nasty toward Dustin? I am simply stating the obvious. There is talk of a hostile take over by JAB, and we all know how great JAB quality is ;).

    The fact is that MW is on the ropes and I don’t want to see them ruin AE.

    Don’t be so sensitive.

  37. Wow, the comments here are really terrible. I understand that folks here don’t like Men’s Wearhouse, but use some logic.

    1) Why the hell does anyone think the shoes will suddenly become clunky and square toed? If that were the case, MW wouldn’t buy such a valued brand in the men’s footwear space?

    2) Anyone who has paid attention to MW would notice they’re trying to modernize and reach a younger and more stylish consumer. Do you see the synergies here?

    3) If anything, this improves the distribution channel of AE shoes and makes it easier to see them in person and get them to a more captive audience.

    4) Honestly, why is a low-effort meme the highest rated comment here? How about actual discussion?

  42. Lets not get too serious here…

    Perhaps most commentators fear the quality and tradition from Allen Edmonds would fade under a different owner or CEO. Most fashion retailers concern themselves with the next fashion trend, or the “younger and more stylish” consumer. This thinking usually means lower quality and price points.

    While I think MW do a fine job with the consumer they target, I think maybe AE might be a better fit elsewhere.

    I think AE does a pretty good job of getting their shoes out to the masses. MW has less than 600 retail locations, compared to the 1000+ Macy’s, Nordstrom, and AE stores. I currently own 50+ pair of AE shoes, and I can’t even remember the last time I walked into a retail AE store. The website, shoebank, and outlets work very nicely.

    Finally, the meme is light hearted fun, and the best I could do on a single cup of coffee. 🙂

  44. That’s interesting. I think Men’s Wearhouse is doing some “under the radar” stuff that will increase its cache. I know that Joseph Abboud has come back and I think they are going to start re-producing his line at his his old factory in New Bedford, MA.

  46. If my theory about the millenials holds up – they won’t change a thing. But if you’re right – (and there’s a chance you might be) – that Ebay market will be unreal.

  47. LOW BLOW! JC Penny hired Genius – and for about 8 months we had something awesome…but admittedly – we didn’t shop there…we didn’t buy. It was our fault they booted him – and our fault that their stab at the millenials only resulted in their loss of the soccer moms.

    If MW makes the move toward AE – the best thing we could possibly do is BUY LIKE CRAZY…(and STOP if they reduce the quality one iota)

    aight – i’m done. (whew…sorry about the CAPS…got a lil’ out of hand there…)

  49. Don’t get me wrong though. I am rooting for MW. If they come out with some great stuff, more power to them. I worked at a JC Penney and saw first hand what happened when we changed. I talked all the time about the better stuff we were getting in. Admitedly, I think they handled the transition wrong and they did it way too fast, so let’s hope MW doesn’t go the same way.

  50. Lets look at it from a business perspective. When MW bought out the Joe Abboud brand – and crucially – it’s American manufacturing capability, I remember reading stumped analysts’ trying to make sense of it. Since MW was a discount brand, and their ability to play vendor’s off of each other for best pricing was bedrock, owning the production made no sense.

    But with AE in the strategic cross-hairs, as it was at the end of Kill Bill II, ” the point emerges”. MW wants to:

    1.) Get American.

    2.) Get Vertical.

    JA and AE let them do both, turn-key, from raw materials, to a MUCH shorter supply chain ( tweed sport-coat is taking off? Call New Bedford pronto!). And crucially, brand equity.

    As for amenting the AE brand, as someone mentioned above they were revived under private equity, and the big sell-out is always the endgame. Longer term, I think we should all be optimistic that a brand like AE can be, and was revived. Looks promising for American brands going forward…

  51. Way too soon for that. AMF made bowling alley equipment. Making niche paleo-bikes was quite the span.

    MW seems to have decided the growth market is a bit, well, upmarket, and they just bought another vertical, upmarket American brand – Joe Abboud (w/ factory). AE would seem to fit with this strategy very well.

  52. JCP’s demise had nothing to do with Wooster, or even Ron Johnson, but that they blew through all their cash prior to the hiring of either.

  53. If AMF didn’t buy them there might not be a HD today. Don’t know all the corporate history but the larger parent may have shepherded HD through to the future.