Mexican Exotic Leather Brand Cuadra Eyes Foreign Markets

LEON, Mexico — Cuadra, a Mexican exotics and Western-style leather goods brand, is boosting expansion in the U.S. and Latin America and hopes to enter Europe in the medium-term to operate 300 points of sale by 2018, said the firm’s commercial manager Edgar Carrillo. The label, whose alligator jackets fetch $20,000, also expects revenues to jump 5 percent this year as it opens four to five new stores in Mexico and boosts marketing initiatives. “We have 200 points of sale now so we should have 300 by 2018,” Carrillo said on the sidelines of the Sapica footwear trade show. Leon-based Cuadra plans to open this year’s stores in Guadalajara and Mexico City, Carrillo said, adding that future outlets will be located in the country’s key cities while the brand will install additional corners in the El Palacio de Hierro and Liverpool department stores. In early 2016, Cuadra hopes to leap into the U.S. multiretail market with a major department store chain to move beyond a store in The Palazzo mall in Las Vegas, Carrillo said. At the same time, Cuadra will boost its South American presence by opening doors in Falabella department stores across Chile and Peru as well as a standalone store in Bogota,

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Wal-Mart Hits Back in Converse Case

WASHINGTON — Wal-Mart Stores Inc., one of several companies targeted by Converse Inc. in a trademark infringement claim pending before the U.S. International Trade Commission, accused Converse in a filing of trying to “extort monetary settlements” from a large swath of the industry and vowed to vigorously fight the case. “Converse’s sudden launch of this surprise ITC action against the industry and its use of this forum to extort monetary settlements and drive product out of the market must not continue to be permitted,” Wal-Mart said in a response to a motion filed by Converse, according to ITC documents. “Wal-Mart will fight Converse’s anticompetitive actions to preserve ‘Every Day Low Prices’ for Wal-Mart customers.” Converse, owned by Nike Inc., filed an ITC trademark infringement complaint against 32 retailers and manufacturers in October, alleging they infringed on some of the brand’s trademarks used in certain shoes, including the All Star Chuck Taylor shoe. The ITC initiated an investigation against the companies in November. Converse also filed lawsuits in federal court against the companies. In the ITC complaint, Converse alleged that the companies violated section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the U.S. and sale of certain of its trademarks,

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