Footprints Joins Tatami, Inc to Distribute Directly to U.S. Retailers

Tatami Inc. announced today that Footprints will be joining the Newalk and Tatami brands with direct distribution to the U.S. retailers starting January 1, 2006. In addition, Tatami will open a warehouse in the U.S. to improve their at-once delivery times.

(PRWEB) November 24, 2005 -- Tatami Inc. announced today that Footprints will be joining the Newalk and Tatami brands with direct distribution to the U.S. retailers starting January 1, 2006. Until that time, Footprints will continue to be sold through Birkenstock Footprint Sandals in Novato, California. Newalk and Tatami brands have been distributed directly from Germany to US retailers since June 2005 with customer service offered through their New York office. As with the Newalk and Tatami brands, David Bergum & Associates will be handling the sales.

Footprints and Tatami, Inc. are sister lines under the ownership of Alex Birkenstock. Footprints’ is the only line in the brands licensed by Birkenstock which does not mainly focus on sandals, but instead offers everything from sturdy hiking boots to high-end designer dress shoes. Footprints CEO, Markus Bensberg says of the new direction. “Tatami, Newalk and Footprints brands are very complementary. Aligning Footprints with these other lines will make each brand stronger.” Mr. Bensburg adds, “We’ve seen the overwhelmingly positive response from the retailers to Tatami, Inc.’s U.S. office opening. We can now offer our entire product line without limitations and give retailers the full opportunity to decide which shoes best fit their customers’ needs.”

Since Tatami Inc.’s U.S. opening in June, Tatami and Newalk brands have seen significant increases month-to-month in their sales with production in high gear to keep up with the robust Spring 2006 orders. January 2006 will bring major changes to Tatami, Inc. In addition to offering the upscale Footprints line, Tatami will open a warehouse in the U.S. to improve their at-once delivery times. “Currently, it takes about three weeks to get the product door-to-door from Germany to our retailers,” states Andreas Wolf, CEO of Tatami, Inc. “Our goal is to take that delivery time from weeks to days to give retailers both maximum stability and flexibility in the ordering process.”

# # #