Aigle (company)
Encyclopedia
Aigle is a French
footwear and textile company founded in 1853 as the Compagnie du Caoutchouc Souple (Flexible Rubber Company) in Montargis
(France) by the American
businessman Hiram Hutchinson.
Hutchison had obtained a license in 1850 for fellow-American Charles Goodyear
's patent
ed vulcanization
process. He emigrated to France where he applied the new process to the production of Wellington boot
s and then raincoats. In the 20th century the company expanded into the production of accessories for the motor industry and, from the 1950s, sports shoes.
In 1967 the company, by now named Aigle, moved manufacturing to Ingrandes
, near Châtellerault
, on a 30 hectare site where around 10,000 pairs of shoes are produced annually.
Beginning in 2000 the company expanded into Japan
and the United States
. In 2006 there were 131 stores worldwide, of which 61 were in France, 14 elsewhere in Europe
, and 56 in Asia
. Gross sales for the 2005 fiscal year were around 120 million euro
s.
In 2005 majority ownership of the company was purchased by Swiss
group Maus Frères
.
The 15th of November 2008 saw the Inauguration of the first Aigle store in North America. Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia
the shop features about 80% of the textile and footwear line of the brand, as well as 100% of the brand’s famous foul weather protective sailing gear and boots. Fore more details please visit the website : aigle.ca
A new shop will open near the end of August 2010 in Montreal
, Quebec
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
footwear and textile company founded in 1853 as the Compagnie du Caoutchouc Souple (Flexible Rubber Company) in Montargis
Montargis
Montargis is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. The town is located about south of Paris and east of Orléans in the Gâtinais....
(France) by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman Hiram Hutchinson.
Hutchison had obtained a license in 1850 for fellow-American Charles Goodyear
Charles Goodyear
Charles Goodyear was an American inventor who developed a process to vulcanize rubber in 1839 -- a method that he perfected while living and working in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1844, and for which he received patent number 3633 from the United States Patent Office on June 15, 1844Although...
's patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
ed vulcanization
Vulcanization
Vulcanization or vulcanisation is a chemical process for converting rubber or related polymers into more durable materials via the addition of sulfur or other equivalent "curatives." These additives modify the polymer by forming crosslinks between individual polymer chains. Vulcanized material is...
process. He emigrated to France where he applied the new process to the production of Wellington boot
Wellington boot
The Wellington boot, also known as rubber-boots, wellies, wellingtons, topboots, billy-boots, gumboots, gummies, barnboots, wellieboots, muckboots, sheepboots, shitkickers, or rainboots are a type of boot based upon leather Hessian boots...
s and then raincoats. In the 20th century the company expanded into the production of accessories for the motor industry and, from the 1950s, sports shoes.
In 1967 the company, by now named Aigle, moved manufacturing to Ingrandes
Ingrandes, Vienne
Ingrandes is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.-Demographics:...
, near Châtellerault
Châtellerault
Châtellerault is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in France.It is located to the north of Poitou, and the residents are called Châtelleraudais.-Geography:...
, on a 30 hectare site where around 10,000 pairs of shoes are produced annually.
Beginning in 2000 the company expanded into Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2006 there were 131 stores worldwide, of which 61 were in France, 14 elsewhere in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and 56 in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Gross sales for the 2005 fiscal year were around 120 million euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s.
In 2005 majority ownership of the company was purchased by Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
group Maus Frères
Maus Frères
Maus Frères SA is a Swiss holding company that owns department stores and other loosely related businesses, mostly in Switzerland, but with some major international interests....
.
The 15th of November 2008 saw the Inauguration of the first Aigle store in North America. Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
the shop features about 80% of the textile and footwear line of the brand, as well as 100% of the brand’s famous foul weather protective sailing gear and boots. Fore more details please visit the website : aigle.ca
A new shop will open near the end of August 2010 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.