Hey Dude is opening its first physical store in Spain this Thursday on Carrer Canuda in the Gòtic. The footwear brand, known for comfortable shoes and owned by Crocs since a 2,500 million dollar buyout, plans to use the Barcelona shop as a testing ground for future global expansion. The store opens at number 24 Carrer Canuda with a grand opening at 7pm.
Barcelona isn’t a random choice for the brand’s Spanish debut. “Look at the people walking past the store, they’re all young,” points out Frankie Taylor, Hey Dude’s global vice president for distributors. The brand wants to attract a younger crowd after building its reputation mainly with middle-aged customers (70% men, 30% women). The Carrer Canuda location, where they’ve invested around 90,000 euros, sits amongst trendy streetwear shops like Nude Project, Carhartt and TwoJeys jewellery.
Meanwhile, the Mediterranean connection matters to Hey Dude’s identity. “For us, Hey Dude’s heart is Mediterranean,” explains Taylor. Italian shoemaker Alessandro Rosano founded the brand in the mid-2000s, following his father who designed comfortable footwear for medical professionals. The shoes sold well in Italy and Spain before crossing to the United States around 2018, where sales exploded from one million pairs to 15 million in just a few years.
Crocs wants to learn from the Barcelona experience. “Fashion is defined here,” argues Taylor, who adds that “it’s a delight to walk these streets because people dress really well.” Brand manager for Spain and Portugal Sebastià Vadell notes that international executives visit Spain frequently for inspiration. The company already pulls in around 19 million euros annually through retailers like El Corte Inglés and Casas.
The brand has invested about 180,000 euros in marketing for the new Barcelona store. “We used to be just comfortable, now we’re cool too and that’s what we want to emphasise,” says Vadell. The shop will be open Monday to Saturday from 10:30am to 8:30pm, aiming to make its mark in the Gòtic whilst testing strategies that could shape Hey Dude’s future worldwide.
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