German Shoe Giant Snipes Growing US Footprint

German footwear and streetwear retailer Snipes’ U.S. expansion plans continued this week when it acquired Expressions, a sneaker company based in New England.

According to published reports, the acquisition gives Snipes ownership of Expressions’ 35 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The companies did not release the terms of the deal.

“Expressions is not just adjacent to our current footprint, but shares our commitment to serve sneaker and streetwear enthusiasts in their communities,” said Sven Voth, CEO and founder of Snipes. “This acquisition further underlines both the importance of the U.S. market to Snipes and the potential for growth we see there.”

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With this deal, Snipes — owned by Germany’s Deichmann SE, Europe’s largest shoemaker — adds another U.S. sneaker chain to its stable, following its acquisition of Jimmy Jazz late last year. The company now has 680 stores worldwide.

“Snipes has a proven track record of investing in companies they buy to set them up for accelerated growth, which gave me confidence that they are the right partner for this next step of our company’s rich history,” Expressions owner Todd Quarles said in a statement.

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Snipes’ past acquisitions include KicksUSA in May 2019, followed by Mr. Alan’s two months later. The company said it has also collaborated with DJ Khaled on an apparel collection and created back-to-back limited edition Adidas Forum releases with the Detroit Pistons.

Last month, the Cologne-based company launched mobile apps to support its digital growth in the U.S. market.

“Snipes has invested in a native mobile app for a number of reasons, but mainly due to the fact that an overwhelming majority of Snipes digital consumers in the U.S. market access snipesusa.com from their mobile devices,” said Jenna Flateman Posner, Snipes’ chief digital officer. “For Snipes, that was a huge indicator that now more than ever we must be mobile first.”