Columbia Sportswear announced today that footwear industry veteran Cory Long will be the new president of the Sorel brand.

Long most recently was global general manager and chief global merchant of DC Shoes. He has also held leadership roles at Mitchell & Ness, Asics, Supra, and Converse.

“We are delighted to have Cory join the Sorel family,” said Craig Zanon, senior vice president of emerging brands for Columbia. “His strength of leadership and consumer-champion mindset will be key in fueling the next era of Sorel growth.“

At DC, Long helped turnaround the struggling DC Shoes brand, which has returned to growth and become a darling of both hipster boutiques and large footwear accounts. In September of this year, DC, along with parent company Boardriders, sold to Authentic Brands Group, which is moving DC to a licensing model.

Long resigned from DC earlier this month. At the time of Long’s departure, DC’s Global Head of Marketing Michael Minter praised Long’s leadership, including how he handled the Boardriders sale process and how the team put together the strategy for DC’s resurgence.

Long is slated to begin in December 2023.

Sorel On the Upswing

Sales are up at Sorel, though the brand is expected to grow at a slower rate than its long-term annual target this year, according to parent company Columbia.

In October, Sorel reported a 9% increase in revenue for the quarter ended Sept. 30 thanks to earlier wholesale shipments and higher closeout sales.

Sorel revenue for the quarter totaled $122 million. While Sorel revenue is forecast to grow in the low single digits for the full year, that is lower than the longer term 20% to 22% compound annual growth rate target Columbia had set for the brand.

“We are still very bullish on the Sorel brand and the opportunity there is clear,” said Columbia CEO Tim Boyle.

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