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  Jared Bevens

Vans is striving to bounce back from supply chain issues with its snowboard boots that left the brand unable to deliver product to retailers this winter season.

Not only is the brand looking to win back the business it lost, Vans also has ambitious go-forward growth plans.

One of its key factories went out of business, and while Vans had been dual sourcing for several months, executives decided to pull the plug on the season rather than risk putting out boots of inferior quality or not being able to deliver on time or in full.

“I think we made the right decision to be upfront about the problem and to give retailers enough time to react and fill that space with other options,” said Jared Bevens, Global VP of Footwear Merchandising.

Especially disappointing was that the snafu happened on the tail end of Vans 20th anniversary celebration of its snow business, and the company had dedicated more resources to the category.

This year, however, Jared said the Vans team is confident it can deliver on time and they are also very confident on the fit and function of the boots.

The line has had positive feedback from retailers who have seen it. Vans took a group of U.S. and Canadian retailers to British Columbia recently to talk shop, go riding, and get feedback about the boots. The European team is doing the same thing before ISPO.

Vans is also offering competitive sales programs and has special marketing plans, including a House of Vans activation at the Ogden Theatre in Denver on the first night of SIA. Going forward, Vans plans to tie more of its brand pillars like art and music into the snow program.

Despite the stumbles last year, Vans believes there is still an opportunity to grab market share going forward.

“There’s definitely consolidation going on, and I think we bring things to the table that retailers aren’t going to find with other brands,” Jared said, adding that Vans strong relationships with many of its snow retailers, who are also customers of Vans in the footwear business. “I feel pretty confident that there is still opportunity, and the departure of Nike from snowboarding has created another hole and even more opportunity than we thought there would be.”

Vans boots hover at No. 6 or 7 in market share rankings, and at its peak, once hit No. 4, Jared said. The go-forward goal is to become a Top 3 snowboard boot brand.

“We have plans for growth,” he said. “We weren’t satisfied with where were, and we think particularly in the boot category that we should have a stronger foothold, and that’s why we are putting more resources against it.”

While boots were the main problem last year, Vans’ new hybrid, weatherized apparel and accessories like snow socks were delivered on time and are in the market now.