Timberland History

Earlier company descriptions, brand line-ups, store counts and photographs from the history of Timberland, kept for historical reference.

Historical reference: This page keeps earlier information about Timberland for historical reference. The descriptions, brand line-ups and figures below reflect the periods in which they were published and may no longer describe the company today. For the company as it stands now, see the current Timberland company profile.
A pair of classic wheat nubuck waterproof work boots on a wooden bench with a folded plaid flannel shirt and leather gloves and autumn leaves, a small Apparel Search tag tied to one boot, product photography with no people

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The Company Description of Its Time

Timberland is a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers who value the outdoors and their time in it. The profile filed here leads with its own ending: on June 13, 2011, it was announced that Timberland would be purchased by VF Corporation, which agreed to pay shareholders $43 per share - a total enterprise value of approximately $2 billion net of cash acquired, in a merger unanimously approved by both boards. The brands in the record are Timberland, Timberland PRO, Mountain Athletics, SmartWool, Timberland Boot Company, Howies and IPATH, sold through leading department and specialty stores and Timberland retail stores across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, South Africa and the Middle East.

The Swartz Family Timeline: 1952-2011

Every journey has a beginning, and Timberland's is dated year by year in the record kept on this profile's history page. 1952: Nathan Swartz buys part of the Abington Shoe Company and learns to make shoes. 1955: he becomes sole owner, and sons Sidney and Herman join him. 1965: the family introduces injection molding to the footwear industry and the first truly waterproof leather footwear is born. 1973: the Timberland boot is introduced - 'It stands for rugged durability and exceptional craftsmanship. It still does.' 1978: The Timberland Company becomes the official name. The 1980s take the small New England company international on Italian demand, public on the American Stock Exchange in 1987, and into men's and women's clothing in 1988; Jeffrey Swartz, Nathan's grandson, joins in 1986 and becomes president and CEO in 1998.

The later entries mix product and purpose in the company's characteristic way: Timberland PRO work footwear in 1999, the SmartWool acquisition in 2005, howies in 2006, iPath in 2007, a solar-powered California distribution center, a hybrid-vehicle stipend for employees, and repeated honors - Fortune's Best Places to Work, Business Ethics' 100 Best Corporate Citizens. The timeline stops where the filing stops, with the VF announcement of June 2011; VF completed the purchase that September at a value of about $2.3 billion, and Timberland has been a VF brand - headquartered, still, in Stratham, New Hampshire - ever since.

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