LaCrosse Acquires END Footwear

END Footwear is getting a new beginning.
 
Portland, Ore.-based LaCrosse Footwear Inc. announced Friday it would acquire Environmentally Neutral Design Outdoor Inc. through a newly formed subsidiary, LFI.

Under the terms of the deal, LFI will take possession of “substantially all” the assets of END, including inventory and intellectual property. The deal, estimated to be worth $500,000, should be completed by the end of the month.
 
END founder and CEO Andrew Estey and “key employees” of the eco-focused outdoor footwear brand are expected to stay on board at their own headquarters, also based in Portland.

LaCrosse Footwear, owner of the Danner and LaCrosse boot labels, said in a release it intended to continue operating END while increasing its marketing share and growing the brand’s international presence.

“We are excited about the new opportunities for growth with a younger consumer and new channels in the running and outdoor markets,” Joseph Schneider, president and CEO of LaCrosse Footwear, said in a statement. “There is also great potential to infuse the innovative work that END has done in the areas of development and design around sustainability and lightweight-breathable products into the LaCrosse and Danner brands.”

Estey hailed the increased resource pool END would be able to draw from at LaCrosse Footwear. “END is encouraged to have the opportunity to continue our efforts to pursue our mission to develop environmentally neutral designed footwear,” he said in the statement. “We believe that leveraging the back-end operations and resources of LaCrosse will assist us in having a swifter and more significant impact on the footwear industry.”