Rockport and Reef to transition Canadian businesses to distributor model

The Rockport Company, LLC and its subsidiary Reef Lifestyle LCC have entered into an agreement with Canadian logistics and distribution company Trend Marketing to transition its Canadian businesses to a distributor model. The transaction is expected to close for Rockport’s brands (Rockport, Aravon, Dunham) on May 1 and for Reef on June 1.

“Trend is one of the leading footwear distributors in the Americas and we are confident that they will help drive deep consumer connections and high-quality growth in the future”, said Rockport and Reef’s Chief Executive Officer Gregg Ribatt in a statement.

“Trend Marketing is very excited to partner with such an iconic organization as The Rockport Company. There is a huge opportunity for the entire portfolio of authentic, premium footwear brands in Canada and we are excited to energize them all in the market” added Trend Marketing’s Founder and CEO Larry Gladstone.

Acquired by Charlesbank Capital Partners in August and headquartered in Boston, Rockport sells footwear in over 50 countries worldwide. Beachwear brand Reef, founded in 1984, was acquired by Rockport from VF Corporation in October and operates as an independent brand headquartered in California.