Schuh

schuh (pronounced /ʃu/, like "shoe") is a footwear retailer from the UK, with 118 stores in the UK and Ireland. schuh’s customers are mostly in their late teens or early twenties and the company is predominantly a branded shoe stockist, selling over 80 brands, including: Converse, Vans, UGG, Nike, Adidas as well as its own schuh label. The company, based in Livingston, West Lothian in Scotland operates throughout the British Isles, Republic of Ireland and Germany. Schuh also delivers internationally.

The very first schuh store opened on Edinburgh’s North Bridge Arcade in 1981. schuh’s founder Sandy Alexander noticed a lack of fashionable footwear retailer outside London, and he chose Edinburgh to open the very first schuh store. schuh describe their concept as follows: "To provide aspirational but accessible fashion footwear, sold in a unique and exciting retail environment at prices which represent value for money and sold by friendly and knowledgeable staff." The business was operating independently until 1986, when it was acquired by a public company. It continued as a semi-autonomous trading division until it regained independence through a management buy-out in 1990 and schuh Ltd was formed.

In June 2011 schuh was acquired by Genesco Inc. a Nashville, Tennessee footwear retailer, for the sum of £125 million. Genesco Inc. sells footwear, headwear, sports apparel and accessories in more than 2,450 retail stores throughout the U.S, principally under the fascias Journeys, Journeys Kidz, Shi by Journeys, Lids and Lids Locker Room, Dockers, Johnston & Murphy, and Underground Station. Genesco Inc. had a turnover of $2.6 billion in 2012/2013.

Schuh is German for shoe. In external marketing, the company pronounces the word like the English word "shoe". Because of the name, many people assume that schuh is a German company. schuh was to be originally named Lizard, until founder Sandy Alexander's colleague Mike Doherty saw the word ‘schuhe’ written at the top of an industry magazine - they dropped the 'e' and "schuh" was born.