Duluth Holdings Inc. (‘Duluth Trading’) operates as a lifestyle brand of men’s and women’s casual wear, workwear and accessories sold primarily through the company’s own omnichannel platform.
The company’s products are marketed under the Duluth Trading Company brand, with the majority of products being exclusively developed and sold as Duluth Trading branded merchandise.
The company offers products nationwide through its website. It has expanded its retail presence, and it operates various ret...
Duluth Holdings Inc. (‘Duluth Trading’) operates as a lifestyle brand of men’s and women’s casual wear, workwear and accessories sold primarily through the company’s own omnichannel platform.
The company’s products are marketed under the Duluth Trading Company brand, with the majority of products being exclusively developed and sold as Duluth Trading branded merchandise.
The company offers products nationwide through its website. It has expanded its retail presence, and it operates various retail stores and outlet stores.
Growth Strategies
The company’s strategies begin with a digital-first mindset; intensify efforts to optimize Duluth Trading’s owned retail channels; evolve the company’s platform to grow into a multi-brand and multi-channel business; prioritize test and learn to unlock long-term growth potential; and future-proof the business through investments in capabilities and infrastructure.
Omnichannel
The company’s omnichannel business strategy allows its sales channels to work in synergy to seamlessly deliver a consistent brand experience to the customer, including consistent marketing, pricing, and product presentation. All sales channels are fully integrated, including stores, website, catalogs, and customer contact centers. The company’s omnichannel services include order-in-store, buy-online-pickup-in-store, and ship-from-store, as well as retail store and mobile shopping experiences.
Retail Store Environment
The company’s retail stores are designed to bring its brand to life by creating a unique and entertaining experience, including engaging sales associates, a compelling and complete product assortment, and custom-made fixtures to fit its brand. It also showcases unique attractions at each retail store that celebrate the heritage of the local area, such as the tool museum in the company’s Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin store, and the ‘Exploded Tractor’ exhibit in its Ankeny, Iowa store.
Products
The company offers a comprehensive line of innovative, durable, and functional workwear, casual wear, outdoor apparel, and accessories for both men and women. The company’s product assortment includes shirts, pants, shorts, underwear, outerwear, footwear, accessories, and hard goods. The company’s products feature proprietary designs and distinct names, such as its Longtail T shirts, Buck Naked underwear, Fire Hose work pants, and No-Yank Tank.
The company’s product assortment appeals to its customers for their everyday and on-the-job use. The majority of the company’s products represent enduring styles that go beyond short-lived fashion trends.
The company’s products are sold at competitive prices and are designed to offer superior performance with added features, such as underarm panels for more freedom of movement, triple-stitched seams for durability, and mid-leg utility pockets for functionality. It also collaborates with its suppliers to develop advanced fabrics that it sells under its trademarks. For example, it incorporates its DuluthFlex Fire Hose cotton canvas into products to provide strength and abrasion resistance with stretch for freedom of movement.
Marketing
The company’s marketing strategy is designed to build brand awareness, acquire new customers, enhance customer loyalty, and drive sales transactions. It is nationally known for its creative, irreverent, and quirky advertising that features its Giant Angry Beaver, Buck Naked Guy, and Grab-Happy Grizzly characters to showcase its brand philosophy, humor, and innovation. It also features testimonials in its marketing campaigns, which put its products in context, tying them to the individuals who represent its core customer, who leads a hands-on lifestyle, values a job well done, and is often outdoors for work and hobbies.
The company pursues its marketing strategy through multiple forms of media, which give its products an identity and enhance its brand:
Digital and Email Marketing: The company employs a variety of digital and online advertising strategies. These efforts include display advertising, digital video advertising, search engine marketing and optimization, and targeted email, which it sends to customers to introduce new products and offer promotions on select merchandise.
Television and Radio: The company advertises in online video channels, streaming television, on cable and broadcast television networks, as well as through streaming and on-demand audio channels to build brand awareness for both men’s and women’s products and to reach a large, national audience. These advertisements feature both the company’s animated characters and female models, and are intended to be humorous, irreverent, and quirky in order to grab the viewer’s attention while highlighting the particularly innovative, solution-based features of its core products and the Duluth Trading name.
Social Media: The company has an engaged social media community, which allows it to personally connect with its customers online, and further raises brand awareness. It maintains a social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and X.
Catalogs: The company’s catalogs are an important part of its heritage and represent a tangible vehicle for its authentic and humorous storytelling.
E-Commerce: The company’s website is an integral part of its marketing strategy, where it uses humor and authentic storytelling to engage its customers.
Intellectual Property
The ‘Duluth Trading Co’ trade name and trademark are used both in the United States and internationally and are material to the company’s business. Trademarks that are important in identifying and distinguishing the company’s products and services include AKHG, Alaskan Hardgear, Armachillo, Ballroom, Buck Naked, Bullpen, Cab Commander, Crouch Gusset, Dang Soft, Dry on the Fly, Duluth Trading Co, DuluthFlex, Fire Hose, Flexpedition, Longtail T, NoGA, No Polo Shirt, No Yank, Spit & Polish, and Wild Boar. The company also owns domain names, including ‘duluthtrading.com.’
Seasonality
The company’s business experiences seasonal fluctuations. The company’s net sales and net income are generally highest in the fourth fiscal quarter (year ended February 2, 2025), which includes the holiday sales period. As a result, the company’s quarterly operating results and working capital requirements fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter.
Suppliers
The company’s principal supplier of inventory accounted for 43% of total inventory expenditures in fiscal 2024.
History
Duluth Holdings Inc., formerly known as GEMPLER’S Inc., was founded in 1989.
