Carlos Santos

: developing a strategy for an own brand of Portuguese handmade shoes

Abstract

Working in the Footwear industry since 1942, Carlos Santos launched a few years ago his own brand in the luxury international market offering a high-end quality shoe for the masculine segment.
The business was based on private label contracts and in 1990 the company started producing Goodyear Welted shoes under its own brand named Mackjames.
After a few years, the company decided to change the brand’s name to Carlos Santos Shoes. By adopting a Portuguese identity, the company had then established a starting point for a new Portuguese Handmade shoe brand.
Carlos Santos Shoes is now an internationally known brand due to its Goodyear Welted shoes produced with the finest raw materials and exclusive details. Spreading its sales across the world, the company has established a solid position in Europe and keeps growing to Asia and the USA.
This dissertation describes the evolution of the company since the shift from a private label based business to the creation of the own brand. By the re-organization of resources, the company was able to develop a strategy for its own brand creating and developing new capabilities at the same time.

Date of Award	26 Jul 2017
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Nuno Cardeal (Supervisor)