Dr. Martens will launch a global brand campaign on September 24 to reverse two straight years of declining sales and an 83.3 per cent drop in its share price.
Annual revenue fell 8.2 per cent to £787.6 million in fiscal 2025. Over the same period, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation dropped 40.8 per cent to £117 million.
This marketing push anchors the Levers for Growth turnaround plan, which followed an operational restructuring completed in 2024. Chief brand officer Carla Murphy is leading the creative repositioning around the slogan “What makes your sole bounce?” Chief executive Ije Nwokorie recruited Murphy from Adidas in July 2025. The media rollout combines out-of-home displays, social video formats and cultural events featuring American actress Chloë Sevigny, Japanese comedian Naomi Watanabe and British musician Jordan Stephens.
Shifting from wholesale exposure
Consumer purchase frequency is the primary target. Sales have bottlenecked partly because the brand’s classic air-cushioned boots simply last too long. Footwear operators across the Asia-Pacific region and North America also face softer discretionary spending. Euromonitor projects slow volume growth across global footwear and apparel through 2030. For department stores and wholesale partners, the shift toward direct storytelling and category extensions will decide whether floor space yields repeat foot traffic or stagnant stock.
Rivals in casual and heritage footwear rely heavily on rapid fashion collaborations to keep unit velocity high. Dr. Martens tested this approach during London Fashion Week with capsule partnerships alongside Chopova Lowena, Labrum and Goyagoma to elevate design credentials above basic workwear utility. That strategy carries commercial risks. The brand could alienate core subcultural buyers while chasing broader casual spend against athletic giants with vastly larger marketing budgets.
Financial pressure mounts
Steep contractions across major geographic divisions forced the new marketing drive. Fiscal 2024 revenue declined 9.8 per cent year-on-year to £877.1 million, driven by weaker wholesale ordering in the United States. EBITDA fell 19 per cent, sliding from £245 million to £197.5 million.
“Brands don’t shape communities; communities shape themselves,” said Murphy.
Management must now prove whether higher marketing expenditure can stabilise direct-to-consumer order books ahead of the winter trading quarter and the next fiscal reporting period.