Converse (shoe company)
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| Subsidiary of Nike, Inc. | |
| Traded as | NYSE: NKE |
| Industry |
Accessories, apparel, and sporting goods |
| Founded | February 1908 Malden, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Founder | Marquis Mills Converse |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
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Number of locations
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More than 75 U.S. retail stores (2014) |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Jim Calhoun Chuck Taylor All-Star) |
| Products |
Apparel, clothing, and shoes |
| Revenue |
 $2.0 billion (2015) |
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Number of employees
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2,658 (in U.S) |
| Parent | Nike, Inc. |
| Website | www |
Jim Calhoun
(C.E.O and president)
Converse /ˈkɒnvərs/ is an American shoe company with a production output that primarily consists of apparel, skating shoes and lifestyle brand footwear. Converse is known as one of America's most iconic footwear companies.
The company was founded in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse and has been a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. since 2003. The company lost a huge monopoly after other companies presented their own styles, but Converse rebounded and changed the targeted audience. During World War II, the company shifted its manufacturing for the public, and instead made them for the military. It was one of the few producers of athletic shoes and for over a half century the company dominated the American court shoe market. Converse shoes are distinguished by a number of features, including; the company's star insignia, the All Star's rubber sole, smooth rounded top, and wrap-around strip that have become extremely distinguishable internationally.
Converse manufactures its products under the Cons, Chuck Taylor All-Star, John Varvatos, and Jack Purcell trade names. In addition to apparel and footwear, the company sells other items globally through retailers in over 160 countries and through approximately 75 company-owned retail stores across the United States, and employed 2,658 in the U.S. in 2015.
At age 47, Marquis Mills Converse, who was previously a respected manager at a footwear manufacturing firm, opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company in February 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts. The company was a rubber shoe manufacturer, providing winterized rubber soled footwear for men, women, and children. By 1910, Converse was producing shoes daily, but it was not until 1915 that the company began manufacturing athletic shoes for tennis.
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Wikipedia