Dockers by Gerli shoes is a
young brand, although its creator,
Gerli GmbH, can look
back on decades of tradition.
In 1973 the founders Gösta
Andersson and Bruno Heim
for the first time sold sportive
shoes and boots they had imported
from Spain. They were
situated at Merzalben, that still
today is the company‘s head
office, only a few miles away
from Germany‘s „capital of
shoes“, Pirmasens. Earlier than
other entrepreneurs had the
founders of Gerli recognized the signs of their times. Thanks to importation
and flexibility in the purchasing of all the services around
production exactly that price/performance ratio can be achieved,
that the partners in the trade need in order to pass the advantage on
to the ultimate consumer and to survive competition.
Today the economy has become a global one in every aspect. And Gerli
has made its arrangements: On the one hand shoes of the trademark
Dockers by Gerli are manufactured in a factory in Vietnam, which is
owned by Gerli and a Korean partner, on the other hand the goods are
produced by a long established network of Gerli‘s production partners
located in many Asian countries.
The creation of the brand Dockers in the year 1986 was the prominent milestone in the history of Gerli. The latest step forward was the opening of a new showroom in the Gerli headquarters at Merzalben in February 2012. On a space of 220 square metres the trade customers of Gerli find a themed world before them enabling them to immerse deeply in the trademark Dockers by Gerli. For that purpose the company swept an entire floor of the main building, which was then equipped with the latest sound and lighting techniques. Apart from this new core in the headquarters of the venerable company there are other showrooms in Hamburg, Ratingen-Breitscheid in the vicinity of Duesseldorf, at Wiesbaden, Nuremberg, Sindelfingen near Stuttgart and Munic (all in Germany). Thus Dockers by Gerli shoes are actually tangible in some of the most important economic regions of Germany. On an international level this task has been taken over by an efficient network of regional and local distribution partners.
A strong brand
Shoes at a reasonable price/performance ratio in combination
with a strong brand: This is what the trademark Dockers by Gerli
stands for. In Germany, the brand is known by 67 percent of all
people. Regardless of the industry usually only very large players
reach such figures thanks to an advertising budget that is several
times higher. For the resellers of Dockers by Gerli shoes this outstanding
brand recognition ratio means nothing less than just this:
Gerli GmbH has already done a good piece of marketing work for
them. What such a Dockers by Gerli shoe stands for, must not at
first be explained to the end consumer.
Dockers by Gerli is an up to date brand. It makes fashion trends quickly enter the shops and thus reach the consumer. Teams of design scouts commissioned by the company track the trends in the fashion capitals around the globe. Recent developments in design and in the market are being analysed and transferred on the trademark Dockers by Gerli and its collections for men (amounting to about 60 percent of the production volume), women (30 percent) and children (10 percent). However quality is at least as important as upto- dateness. At all times both at production sites as well as points of sale is the quality monitored worldwide by quality control teams who are continuously travelling for just that purpose. And because quality has to be signalled to the end user, too, Dockers by Gerli shoes are sold exclusively by well assorted retail outlets of all sizes, be it single retail stores, chains or online vendors.
High performance in international distribution
3.2 million pairs of shoes of the brand Dockers by Gerli were delivered in the year 2011. Such figures can only be reached with an efficient network of own logistics specialists in cooperation with partners. Gerli employs 450 staff members at its own factory in Vietnam. About 40 employees are in charge of design, distribution and administration in Germany, and five more people work in the purchasing office in Spain. From there Gerli coordinates the international procurement and monitors time schedules. Dockers by Gerli shoes are sold in Europe, in oriental countries, in the Middle East as well as in Russia and in Turkey. A long established team of independent sales representatives covers the complete sales area of Germany. Gerli‘s commercial customers are attended to locally. Seasonal peaks in the demand are absorbed by Gerli without any difficulty. The capacity to deliver is first rate at all times, thanks to large storage areas of more than 2,500 square metres in the main warehouse located at Muenchweiler upon Rodalb and another 2,000 square metres at the Merzalben headquarters of Gerli.
Own production and trustworthy partnerships
In addition to the manufacturing in its own factory Gerli puts great emphasis on long term cooperation with well established production partners. Continuity and reliability are values that have lasting beneficial consequences for all resellers throughout the international distribution area. Sites, where Dockers by Gerli shoes are manufactured, can be found in six Asian countries, from China to Cambodia, from India to Thailand. All the manufacturers strictly produce according to the designs of Gerli. Both they and Schuh-Import und Export Gerli GmbH together guarantee the consistently high quality of trendy shoes at reasonable value for money prices, backed by a strong brand.
