Ecco to close shoe factories in Portugal and Vietnam, cutting about 2,400 jobs

Danish footwear company Ecco is closing two of its shoe factories as part of a restructuring that will eliminate about 2,400 jobs, trade publications reported.

What is closing

• The factory in the Bàu Bàng Industrial Park near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, which employs roughly 1,400–1,600 people.
• The factory in Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal, with about 640–650 workers.
• About 400 further roles across global and regional functions, including about 80 in Denmark.

Why

According to reports citing WWD, Ecco said sales have declined across all channels, with its direct-to-consumer business hit hardest. The company has not published financial targets tied to the closures.

Ecco, long known for controlling its supply chain from tannery to shop, will keep producing leather at its Asian tanneries for its own use and for some outside customers. The move marks a step back from in-house shoe manufacturing in these regions for a brand built on vertical integration.

Portugal is one of Europe’s traditional footwear-making hubs, while Vietnam is a major low-cost manufacturing base for global shoe brands.