ion. “No matter our growth, we want to feel grassroots, where people can really connect to our brand and messaging,” James Smith, Merry People general manager, told Inside Retail.  Growing and remaining grassroots  Merry People is all about making gumboots that can comfortably navigate both the concrete streets en route to a corporate office as well as the dirt roads to a country escape. In late 2023, for the first time, growth in the UK market overtook Australia, and according to the brand, there has been abundant interest from larger retailers across the UK and the US wanting to stock the Aussie gumboot.  The fourth quarter of 2024 is anticipated to be a huge growth period for the business.  “Particularly in the UK, our growth and progress feels genuine and like Australia, we are connecting to our audience which is super special,” Smith said. “Our global markets are really important to us as we believe we have a unique product offering and positioning in the market.” Merry People boots are available online globally and through several international retailers. The business has local warehousing in the UK, US and Canada to ensure a greater customer experience by fulfilling online orders in the local markets promptly. Smith said the team is “blown away” by customer feedback often emphasising that the boots are even better in real life. After hosting several pop-up activations and events, he added that the business is “exploring ways to have our product available to be experienced in a physical setting”.  While nothing official has been announced, Smith said that any Australian flagship would likely be an experiential store incorporating elements that embody the brand’s values. It would also seek to bring nature indoors in a practical way so customers could road-test the boots.  Heading into winter in the southern hemisphere, Mother’s Day is naturally a busy sales period for the business.  “The boots make a fantastic gift through the fun array of colours and versatility of our product,” Smith said. Locally, Merry People is stocked in over 50 independent boutiques and more than 100 retailers are reportedly on the waitlist to become stockists. “We see the importance of protecting our stockist network by providing exclusivity to a town; hence, our waitlist,” Smith said. Investing in the future As much as Merry People is growing its global business, it is also investing in its sustainability journey and its social impact on the community. “We have a number of new product ranges launching throughout 2024 and [we are] working through sustainable componentry to replace virgin material without impacting performance,” Smith said. “Despite our growth, we are guided by our brand values and have kept to the fundamentals that have made us successful by investing in high-quality products.”  Smith sees this as the key factor behind the brand’s over 16,000 five-star reviews. As Merry People enters the next phase of growth, Smith believes that providing a positive and measurable impact to causes the community cares about will be an important way to continue connecting with customers. Remaining fresh As a brand that never goes on sale, Merry People instead uses limited-edition colours to provide a sense of scarcity and exclusivity to incentivise customers to purchase. “We really work hard at rotating our colours to keep them fresh and exciting,” Smith said. This is also the strategy when creating charity boots, like the one with the MDC foundation. “We believe in the product remaining limited edition so it remains extra special to those who have purchased it, and will always look to do a re-fresh of a collaboration boot,” he added. Merry People’s approach to collaborations has proven to be incredibly successful in the past. Its Karen Walker boot sold out in under two weeks and the Obus collaboration in under one week.