You may have thought that you were prepared for this moment, but I want you to sit down, nonetheless. Brace yourself. Buck up. Be strong. Here we go. Crocs, squishy footwear manufacturer to the stars (also, Larry, who stops by to top off that pig tank of propane I've got sitting outside of my RV when we winter in Texas,) is closing its last manufacturing plants. According to a statement plopped out by the company last week, Crocs decreed that they will no longer be making the iconic closed cell resin kicks that made them famous, any longer, saying "In connection with ongoing efforts to simplify the business and improve profitability, during the second quarter, the company closed its manufacturing facility in Mexico and moved ahead with plans to close its last manufacturing facility, which is located in Italy,"That said, it's sounding like the company will likely be licensing out the right to make Crocs sandals, clogs and other squishy footwear options to outside manufacturers.From Jezebel:
...there have been multiple media reports that Crocs is winding down production in our owned manufacturing facilities. While accurate, some people have interpreted that to mean that Crocs will no longer be making and selling shoes. Quite the contrary, Crocs will continue to innovate, design and produce the most comfortable shoes on the planet. As we streamline our business to meet growing demand for Crocs, we're simply shifting production to third parties to increase our manufacturing capacity.We're extremely grateful, but not surprised that our passionate fans are rallying around the brand today. Our future is bright, bold and colorful.
Larry will be so chuffed.Image via Flickr, courtesy of Peter Stevens
