Travis Hogue Eric Johnson Brian Pavlukovich

      Started Levi Strauss in 1873 in San Francisco 1873 patented a more durable pair of blue jeans 1936 added the red tab to the pocket to identify Popularized blue jeans They are the worlds largest brand-name apparel manufacturer Own the Dockers brand

 Wall Street Journal  Joining the premium denim market   Late entry in the market due to:    Crushing debt Restructuring of operations Discontinuation of product lines Results:     Missed out on the designer jeans craze in early 2000s Survived the recession Aggressive retail expansion Marketing of new premium line

 Two new brands:   Made and Crafted  Better fabrics and fit  Appealing to affluent consumers Levi’s Vintage Clothing  Reproductions of classic items from the brand’s history

   Aggressive Retail Expansion  Opened 154 new stores in 2009 Distribution   Boutique stores  London’s Regent Street High end retailers  Saks Fifth Avenue  Barneys New York International   Standardization of 501 jeans Global Campaign

 Retail Management  Store Positioning    Brand Image Retail Life Cycle  Levi’s in maturity stage Resource Advantage Theory  Value for the money

     What we think of the article  Norms What do you think of Levis expansion, has anyone noticed more stores?

Would you ever buy a $199 pair of Levis Jeans?

Did you know that executives from Ralph Lauren helped design these jeans?

Would you buy them now?

  Lynn Downey, “Levi Strauss: a short biography” 2008 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303695604575182 252816707936.html?mod=WSJ_business_LeftSecondHighlights