I’ve heard about some changes at the skateboard shoe company Vox recently so I followed up to find out more about what is happening there and to learn more about the brand in general.
Matt Gentilucci, the new global sales director, answered some questions for me, including how its price point Trooper Relief shoe is doing and what will happen with the new David Gravette shoe now that the skater has moved to the C1RCA team.
What is Vox’s distribution?
The foundation of Vox is 100% skateboarding and has been from our inception back in 2006. Vox designs, manufactures, distributes and markets skateboard specific footwear and apparel that is distributed in the U.S. to the best “A” skate/snow/surf accounts, core skate shops, major national accounts and footwear specialty stores.
Outside the U.S., Vox is distributed in 28 countries worldwide.
What are some big accounts?
Some of our best “A” accounts are Val Surf, One Way Boardshops, Spyder Surfboards, Boarders Sports, Church of Skatan, K5, Hanger 94, BC Surf & Sport, Blades Board & Skate, Skate Park of Tampa, WRV.
Our biggest major accounts are Zumiez, CCS.com and Skate Warehouse.
Who owns the brand?
A group of shareholders own Vox.
How does Vox stand out from other skate shoes?
Vox is different from any other footwear company. We are a small brand that focuses on delivering quality functional skate shoes at the right price that have a key Point of Purchase.
Our distribution is clean and tight and that is how we are going to grow our brand over the next 5 to 10-plus years. Not only do we have a style, direction and team that no other company is hitting we are the last “stand alone” skate shoe brand.
We are independently owned and operated company, not owned by a large clothing, hardgood or snowboard brand. What also sets us apart from any other skate shoe company is that being a small brand, we can be reactionary to what is going on in the market place and drop new styles and/or colors quickly giving our retailers a fresh product mix and always offering something new, whether it is AO or pre-book.
It seems there have been several management changes there?
There has been recent restructuring with our in-house staff. Corinne Ong joins on as our new president. Dave Ross who has been with Vox for over three years as footwear designer is now our VP of marketing and sales. The most recent change/addition is myself as new Global Sales Director. I was previously the Vox LA/OC/Central California sales rep – I also carried other lines besides Vox when I was a road rep.
Have retailers and shoppers responded to your $39.99 shoe?
The Trooper Relief, our $39.99 shoe (retail), has been a huge success on a national and international level, because the Trooper Relief is just as good as any comparable shoe but retails for $10 to $20 less while still giving the retailer a full margin.
The Trooper Relief was so successful that we now offer two other styles around this price-point. We call our lower priced shoes the Vox Relief Program, which consist of the Trooper Relief, Deuce and the new Savey. The Savey will be shipping in mid-May and is a classic canvas, low-profile vulcanized shoe that will retail for $36.95.
The Relief Program is our answer to the economic climate and continues to be the dominant lower priced shoe as we were the first come out with the Relief concept in mid-2009.
I saw some online chatter about former Vox skater David Gravette’s shoe coming out at the same time as he moved to the Circa team. Can you comment on what happened there?
Yes, David Gravette moved to C1RCA with his new Vox pro model shoe the “Titan” shipping in April. Gravette simply got a better offer.
Since the Titan is a great silhouette and a high demand style we are going to continue with it in our line as a team model.
