After announcing a robust store opening plan this summer, Tecovas isn’t slowing down.
According to president and chief executive officer David Lafitte, who joined Tecovas from Deckers Brands in 2022, the nearly 10-year-old Western label is expanding into wholesale for the first time this fall.
As the first phase of this expansion, Tecovas is partnering with 9 retailers, reaching 36 store locations across 10 states, including Texas, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia and Michigan.
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Among the notable retail partners are National Roper Supply, Lebo’s, Texas Boot Company, Boots Etc., Murdoch’s Ranch & Home Supply, Howell Western Wear, Bullocks Western Store, Crossbow and Junk Gypsy.
“Our entrance into wholesale will help with our brand awareness,” Lafitte told FN in an interview. “We know that we’ve got pockets of regions where we have a strong e-commerce presence, but some of those are in areas where it’s unlikely to warrant opening our own store. So now we will have the ability to get physical distribution points to those places and reach new customers in person.”
Lafitte noted that partnering with local independent stores that are deeply rooted in the Western lifestyle is at the core of the brand’s wholesale strategy.
“These independent, mom and pop and family businesses are very authentic in the western space, and have a very authentic consumer base,” the CEO said. “So, I think that’s important for us, as well, to make sure we’re growing our roots deeper as we try and expand the Western tent. We’ve got a lot of these traditional folks that love our product and love our brand values, so we rather come to them rather than open at a big box store.”
Lafitte said he expects wholesale to account for 20 percent of the business over the next few years. “We want to keep our wholesale distribution pretty well managed,” he added. “We don’t want to overextend and all of a sudden start blowing up our own market. So, we’ll be patient. We see wholesale as a long-term strategic play.”
Looking ahead, Lafitte said the company will be expanding its wholesale footprint in coming seasons. To help do this, Tecovas will be exhibiting at its first trade show in January – the WESA western show in Dallas. The brand will also be opening a permanent showroom at the Dallas Market Center for customers to visit any time.
