In Their Shoes
Flip Flop Shops achieves and maintains its goal of “environmentally responsible retail.”
By Katie Lee
When a company goes as far as to trademark the phrase “environmentally responsible retail,” you know it is serious about sustainability. Atlanta-based Flip Flop Shops, an up-and-coming chain dedicated entirely to flip flops, may be serious about the environment, but it knows how to kick back and have some fun in other areas of design and construction. For one, its stores smell like coconut suntan oil. Who can’t relax in a setting like that?
That laid-back, vacation vibe is something Flip Flop Shops works hard to maintain, utilizing many of the customer’s senses to create a unique ambiance — the smell of coconuts, the sight of a flamboyant “flip flop tree,” the sound of a Jason Mraz song coming from the sound system, the feel of cushy cork flooring under the customer’s feet as he tries on a pair of premium leather OluKai sandals.
And the best thing about it? It’s all green. “One of the things we decided when we started Flip Flop Shops [in 2005] is we wanted to have a brand that represented ‘environmentally responsible retail,’” says CEO Darin Kraetsch. “We want to be a retailer who at least is cognizant about our environment, especially with regards to the brands we carry.”
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Flip Flop Shops has an eco-friendly design, from the bamboo cash wraps to the all-natural cork flooring. The retailer also carries products from environmentally conscious brands, such as Reef, OluKai, Rainbow, Flojos and Hurley.
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Those brands include Reef, OluKai, Rainbow, Flojos and Hurley — all of whom have a reputation for doing the right thing when it comes to the environment. “We thought, in order for us to great brand ambassadors for the products that we sell, it was incumbent upon us to be environmentally responsible with the design of all our shops so we can better represent the products,” Kraetsch explains.
To that end, Flip Flop Shops’ architect of record, Robb McKerrow (brother of restaurant industry icon George McKerrow, Jr., founder of LongHorn Steak House and co-founder of Ted’s Montana Grill), incorporated many “green” elements into the design. The shops use low-energy lighting, bamboo cash wraps, water-soluable glues and water-based paints. Another sustainable element — as well as noted point of interest — is the retailer’s all-natural cork flooring.
“It has an unbelievable foot feel and a fantastic look about it,” says Kraetsch. “We thought it was important to do something really special [with the floor] because people are trying on their flip flops and looking down at their feet. The floor, in our particular environment, is a very big focal point for the consumer. When we found this natural cork floor, which is actually made out of discarded pieces of wine bottle corks, we thought, boy, this is really fun. Not only are we using a rapidly renewable resource, it’s also a discarded product, much like particle board made from sawdust and reused from cutting of other wood.”
The retailer is also a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, which recently came out with new guidelines for LEED certification for tenant build-outs. Because most of Flip Flop Shops’ locations are inside regional malls, this is a certification the company is interested in pursuing. “Today, our stores are not LEED certified,” says Kraetsch. “But it is something we are working toward and trying our best to achieve, depending on what is economically feasible.”
Kraetsch acknowledges that the question of economic feasibility factors heavily in a retailer’s decision to “go green” or pursue any type of environmental certification. “That is one of the challenges that a lot of retailers have,” he says. “We all want to be environmentally responsible and we want to do everything we can within our power, but especially in economic times that we’re in now, we have to be extremely cognizant of the overall cost. We all know what the long term benefit is to the environment, but we also have to be concerned with the returns on investment from a business standpoint and make prudent decisions.
Because many retailers find themselves in the same boat — wanting to do the right thing for the environment but wary of the cost — Kraetsch has some words of advice: “There are always small things that you can do, from changing light bulbs to recycling — very obvious things that you can do to do your part. These very small changes, over time, can have big results.”
“You should not look at certification programs and be afraid of them,” Kraetsch continues. “You should still be willing to make whatever changes you can and don’t let the certification dissuade you from making positive steps forward. Even if you assess the program and feel it’s not attainable for you today, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still be environmentally responsible. The certifications are nice to have — they’re a great goal — but they’re not a need-to-have.”
Flip Flop’s Facilities
On the facilities side of things, because Flip Flop Shops is a franchise company, each individual owner handles on-site facilities maintenance issues.
“They’re in the mall — if the HVAC breaks, they call a guy,” says CEO Darin Kraetsch. “There’s no program, there’s no protocol. That’s one of the benefits of growing our system through a franchise system as opposed to corporately.”
Flip Flop Shops opened its first store in Chandler, Arizona, in 2005, and it became a franchise company in January 2008. The first franchise location opened in Vancouver, British Columbia, on April 22, 2009. Today, there are four shops open and operating: stores in Chandler, Arizona; Micronesia Mall in Dededo, Guam; Vancouver, British Columbia; and the Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, California. By the end of the year, Kraetsch says, an estimated 13 to 20 stores will be open, including locations in Baybrook Mall in Houston; Universial CityWalk Hollywood in Los Angeles; State Street in Santa Barbara, California; and Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
“Most of our locations are inside regional malls, so there’s not a lot of facilities issues, but when they do arise, the franchisee works with their mall manager to address them,” Kraetsch explains. “They will typically use vendors that the mall refers them to.”
Most Flip Flop Shop locations today are between 500 and 900 square feet; earlier larger footprint store models averaged 800 to 1,400 square feet. |
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