#MARKETPLACE - "Dog eat dog" competition on the high street prompted Dubarry's managing director to reposition the shoe company as a supplier of premium boating clothing and footwear, as The Irish Times reports.

Eamonn Fagan explains how he saw an opportunity 30 years ago to break the traditional autumn/winter collection cycle by launching a new spring/summer line with boating in mind.

Enter the company's signature Admiral deck shoe, which has since become the firm's biggest seller, with a loyal following among sailors and landlubbers alike.

Since then the company has rolled with the changing tides, such as outsourcing its manufacturing ahead of the curve, which has protected it somewhat from the damage wrought by the economic downturn: profits last year were on the up, thanks to overseas sales, and no jobs have been lost in the recession.

Moreover, it continues to launch new designs, such as the Sligo deck shoe, and also branched into clothing in 2005 with a nautical range that now accounts for around 30% of sales.

“One of the more unusual things about Dubarry is that we largely ignore cost when designing a new product,” says Fagan. “Our view is that if the product is right, we will reap the rewards over time."

It's expected that some of these rewards will be reaped shortly when Dubarry opens a flagship store on Dublin's College Green.

The Irish Times has much more on the story HERE.