Skechers promotes veteran Richard Parker to MD of UK & Ireland
Global footwear brand Skechers has promoted company veteran Richard Parker to Managing Director of UK & Ireland to help "establish a foundation for future successes."
Through his 22-year tenure at Skechers, Parker has held nearly every role within the UK & Ireland sales division. He started as an Area Sales Manager before moving on to manage key accounts and national accounts, including QVC and Amazon.
For the last four years, he was the National Sales Manager for Skechers UK & Ireland where he helped grow the business to its market leading position today.
Q4 saw sales at Skechers increased 13.5% as a result of a 22.3% increase domestically and an 8.7% increase internationally, led by strength in wholesale sales. All segments experienced growth, with wholesale increasing 15.7% and direct-to-consumer increasing 10.8%.
David Weinberg, Chief Operating Officer of Skechers, commented: "We celebrated the 30th anniversary of Skechers in 2022 with the Company’s international business just shy of 60 percent of our total sales, a new annual record at $7.4 billion. Our UK business was a key contributor to that growth."
“As we look to drive growth across the UK in the coming years, we have promoted Skechers veteran Richard Parker to Managing Director of Skechers United Kingdom and Ireland. We believe that with his varied experience, business acumen and success within the organisation and market relationships, he will excel in his new role—one aptly served by Peter Youell for nearly 20 years."
Parker succeeds Peter Youell, who will be stepping into an advisor role on special and key international projects. Youell joined Skechers in November 2004 and within months, he was promoted to Managing Director of the United Kingdom & Ireland.
