Wall Street Strategies On The Five-Finger Shoe

Wall Street Strategies' Brian Sozzi has searched for investments in Vibram's uniquely designed five-finger shoe. But is he having any luck? “The opportunities to invest in this budding footwear shift, lo and behold are limited, since Vibram is privately owned and retailers distributing the products are scant,” Sozzi wrote in a report released today. “Outside of the company's website and Amazon AMZN, the five‐finger shoe from Vibram is only sold in 285 independent retailers in seven states, and one store in Mexico.” “Is there a conspiracy?” Sozzi questions. “Knowing full well that the product is garnering strong customer review scores for all styles and is mostly out of stock at retailers, why aren't major distributors at least devoting modest wall space to Vibram and other five‐finger shoe products? Is it pressure from Nike NKE and other remanufacturers, which realize five‐finger shoes may fundamentally alter the footwear industry? Nike and Wolverine Worldwide WWW, using two examples, continue to focus on ‘barefoot' designs in sneakers instead of buying into the five‐finger movement. Food for thought.”