The Leder & Schuh Group, one of the largest shoe companies in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, employs over 2,321 people in about 206 locations and gains total revenue of 374 million Euros. (2017) The

corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...

is not listed on the

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...

. According to its account Leder & Schuh is the market leader in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

and number two in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

and

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

.Leder & Schuh Group Profile 2008 The main business areas are

Humanic Humanic (stylized in caps HUMANIC) is a subsidiary of Leder und Schuh with its headquarters in Graz. In 1907, the American Shoe House HUMANIC opened its first two stores in Vienna, on Kärntnerring 6, opposite the famous Hotel Bristol, and in M ...

and Shoe 4 You. The Executive Board consists of Mag. Werner Weber and Thomas Weber.(2016)

History

1872

The history of ''Humanic'' begins with a shoe factory. In 1872 "D.H. Pollak & Co" settles in

Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...

and lays the foundation for today's holding company "Leder & Schuh International AG" with its headquarters still at the same premises. Soon "D.H. Pollak & Co" manages numerous factories and stores and produces 20,000 pairs per week, thus becoming the biggest producer of shoes in Central Europe. The company opens stores in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into provi ...

, Meran, and Temesvar and even exports its shoes to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. “D.H. Pollak & Co” are global players, which also manifests itself in the new name: "Goodyear Welt-Schuhfabrik — D.H. Pollak & Co" (“Goodyear World Shoe Factory — D.H. Pollak & Co”).

1904

In 1904 shoe production and trade are further expanded, and stores are set up as far afield as

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

(Istanbul),

Plovdiv Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Due to the take-over of the American company "Humanic", the company changes its name again: In 1907, the “American Shoe House Humanic" opens its first two stores in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, on Kärntnerring 6, opposite the famous Hotel Bristol, and in Mariahilferstraße 92, opposite Hotel Palace.

1914-1918

Due to World War I the company loses almost its entire branch network, consisting of more than 100 branches. Despite the tense economic situation several shoe factories are acquired, amongst others the "Allgemeine Österreichische Schuh-Aktien-Gesellschaft".

1920

Serious damages caused by World War I require a new start for the company. Meeting a similar fate as the Austro-Hungarian-Empire the organisation is broken up into several independent distribution and manufacturing companies. These companies, in turn, get lost in the economic and political post-war confusion. By founding the Austrian "Humanic Leder und Schuh AG, Vienna-Graz" a strong sign of life is sent out once again and all efforts are concentrated on a restart in a now "shrunk" Austria. The company takes off quickly and in 1930 the Humanic sales network already encompasses 60 branches again.

1938-1945

The consequences of the worldwide economic crisis and incorporation of

into Greater Germany imply dramatic difficulties and the end of expansion for the company. Finally World War II causes the total collapse. Due to its location near the central station of Graz the factory is almost completely destroyed by 15th AF / 55th BW air strikes on 15 March 1945.

1950

The reconstruction after World War II is concentrated on the relatively small Austrian market and is finished by 1950. International cooperation with renowned companies like "Calzaturificio di Varese" or "Charles Jourdan" is launched accompanied by the reorganisation of Europe. This is when the foundation for the fashion leadership of ''Humanic'' is laid.

1960-1970

The foundation of the

European Free Trade Association The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe, European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerlan ...

EFTA is the starting point for more intensive trade connections with

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

; exports to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, the Benelux countries, the Far East, and the USSR bring continuous growth. Thus, more than 3,000 shoe stores throughout Europe are supplied with goods from the company-owned production and wholesale business. At the same time, new production sites are opened in

(Deutschlandsberg, Radkersburg, Eibiswald, and Feldbach) and other European countries, such as

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

1977-1990

Up until 1977, all trading activities are exclusively carried out under the brand name ''Humanic''. From then on, however, the company starts to diversify its trading activities. 1977 First ''Top Schuh'' stores are opened. In 1988 the first ''Dominici'' store opened (designer labels). In 1989 ''Jello Schuhpark'' is founded (price aggressive concept for retail parks). In 1990 Leder & Schuh AG — as we know it today — was founded. As a holding company, it takes over leadership and service functions as well as coordination of all activities at home and abroad.

1991-2000

By acquiring the majority interest of the Hungarian commercial company SZIVÁRVÁNY Rt. with its headquarters in

, Leder & Schuh AG continues the internationalisation that was started in 1904. Finally, ''Humanic'' and its shoe stores manage to take over market leadership in

. In 1992, ''Humanic'' enters the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

with the opening of a store in

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

. 1994 marks the birth of ''Shoe 4 You''. The first store is opened in

, it also marks our debut on this neighbouring market. In the same year, Leder & Schuh International AG withdraws from shoe production and wholesale activities, thus making an important decision regarding the reorientation of the company towards retail business. In 2000 the company moves on to

, where it opens ''Jello'' and ''Humanic'' stores.

2001-2007

Leder & Schuh International AG is able to strengthen its leading market position in

and increases its international expansion. In spring 2002 ''Humanic'' opens its first store in

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

, and, in the same year, the first two stores in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

. In 2005 ''Humanic'' enters the Polish market. At the end of 2007 the strategic decision is taken to withdraw ''Top Schuh'' from the market.

Now

By opening the first stores in spring 2008 Humanic enters the market in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and

. In 2009 the first Humanic store launches in

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

Literature

* Franz Mathis: ''Big Business in Österreich. Österreichische Großunternehmen in Kurzdarstellungen''. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 1987, S. 156 ff.; {{ISBN, 978-3-486-53771-0. adnan radoncic

External links

Website of Leder & Schuh AG

References

Companies based in Graz Shoe brands Shoe companies of Austria