Florsheim is preparing to shut its last remaining company-owned stores in the US as parent company Weyco Group shifts its focus toward e-commerce and wholesale distribution.
The closures will affect the footwear brand’s four remaining locations in Florida: Orlando, Coral Springs, Miami, and Sunrise.
According to the Milwaukee Business Journal, the stores are expected to close by the end of the summer after their leases expire, and Weyco opted not to renew them.
The move brings an end to Florsheim’s direct retail presence in its home market more than 130 years after the brand was founded in Chicago by Sigmund Florsheim in 1892.
While exiting physical retail, Florsheim products will continue to be sold through wholesale partners, including Macy’s, Kohl’s, DSW, and Famous Footwear, as well as through the brand’s online store.
The decision comes as footwear companies continue to navigate rising costs and ongoing uncertainty around US tariffs.
Speaking to The Bullwark, Weyco chairman Thomas Florsheim Jr said the shifting trade environment had created challenges for businesses.
“The tariffs have changed 15 times,” Florsheim Jr said. “I think that many businesses felt that the Trump administration was going to be pro-business. And, you know, with the tariff situation, somehow the pro-business thing got lost.”
Like most footwear sold in the US, Florsheim shoes are manufactured overseas. Florsheim said producing shoes domestically would significantly increase costs.
“You really can’t make shoes and sell them in the US unless you want to sell shoes for more than $300,” he said.
The brand, known for its men’s dress and casual footwear, currently sells shoes ranging from about $60 to $265.
Florsheim also attracted attention earlier this year after a Wall Street Journal report revealed that US President Donald Trump had become a fan of the brand’s leather oxfords and had reportedly gifted pairs to members of his administration.
Images shared online generated discussion after some recipients appeared to be wearing ill-fitting shoes.
