2012–present
Wolverine World Wide nearly doubled in size after its 2012 acquisition of the Performance Lifestyle Group of Collective Brands, which added Saucony, Keds, Stride Rite and Sperry brands to its portfolio. The US$1.23 billion transaction also involved the sale of Payless ShoeSource and Collective Licensing International to private equity firms Blum Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital.[11] In 2017, the company sold its United States Department of Defense footwear business along with a factory in Big Rapids, Michigan to Tennessee-based footwear manufacturer Original Footwear.[12] In the same year, Wolverine World Wide converted Stride Rite to a licensed brand operated by New York City-based Vida Shoes International.[13]
The company is based out of corporate offices in Rockford, Michigan and Waltham, Massachusetts. Wolverine World Wide also operates three distribution centers in the United States, one in Canada and one in the Netherlands. As of December 29, 2018, Wolverine World Wide operated 80 retail stores in the U.S. and Canada and 42 consumer-direct eCommerce sites. According to the company's 2018 annual report, "substantially all of the units sourced by the Company are procured from numerous third-party manufacturers in the Asia Pacific region. The Company maintains offices in the Asia Pacific region to develop and facilitate sourcing strategies."[14]
Wolverine World Wide operated various PFAS dumpsites throughout Belmont and Rockford that contaminated the drinking water of hundreds of residents. The chemicals involved have been linked to various negative health effects, including several cancers.[15] In February 2020, the company settled Grand Rapids federal court action by agreeing to pay US$69.5 million to provide town-supplied drinking water to affected residents.[16]
In 2019, Wolverine World Wide reorganized into two operating segments:[17]
In 2021, Wolverine World Wide acquired British athleisure retailer Sweaty Betty,[18] In 2023, the company sold Keds to Designer Brands.[19] A year later, Wolverine World Wide sold Sperry to Authentic Brands Group.[20]
- Wolverine Michigan Group, whose brands include Bates, Cat Footwear, Chaco, Harley-Davidson Footwear, Hush Puppies, HyTest, Merrell and Wolverine
- Wolverine Boston Group, whose brands include Keds, Saucony, Sperry Top-Sider, the Stride Rite licensed business and the kids footwear businesses of Cat, Hush Puppies, Keds, Merrell, Saucony and Sperry
