Capitalising on a growing demand for comfort shoes in Thailand, US-based walking shoe brand Rockport has opened its first Bangkok store at CentralWorld shopping mall.

The 63sqm store will be followed by two more at the year’s end in Bangkok, each with a retail space of between 60sqm and 90sqm.

“The opening of Rockport’s first store in Bangkok serves as a solid foothold for the footwear brand from the US to conquer the Thai market,” said Chukiat Tokamoltham, consumer-products manager of DKSH (Thailand), the distributor of Rockport shoes.

“We expect to double sales of Rockport footwear in Thailand from between 20,000 and 25,000 pairs per annum to about 40,000-50,000 pairs in the next two or three years.”

Rockport targets potential customers from urban professionals who like a sense of style. Each pair of shoes are priced from 2900 baht to 5000 baht (US$95.62 to US$164.86), 15 per cent cheaper than in other Asia-Pacific countries.

Outside Bangkok, Rockport has a store at Central Pattaya Beach.

The Massachusetts-based shoes brand enjoys popularity in the US and Asian countries including South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong.

GB