Established in 1965, Kenkoh is the original home of massage footwear, designed in Japan to the ancient principles of reflexology. The word Kenkoh means health in Japanese and it is this philosophy that guides the brand’s designs to this day. Here, RLI speaks with Rola Sullivan, Managing Director Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pacific to learn more about the concept of the brand and its plans moving forward.
Kenkoh has roots that can be traced back to 1949 when railway worker Kyu-kichi Yamanashi opened a small shoe factory in Shizuoka, Japan. He manufactured a traditional Japanese shoe but after becoming ill with tuberculosis he began experimenting with ancient oriental treatments for the feet including ‘soku-sin-do’ – Japanese reflexology.
The transformation was so successful he began incorporating the traditional healing principles into his shoe designs and in 1965 the first Kenkoh massage sandal, featuring their signature rubber nodules in the footbed, was launched. Since then, every pair of Kenkoh shoe has been designed to provide support and relief for the feet, making them the perfect health shoe that anyone can benefit from.
Today the brand’s shoes are sold in more than 40 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Asia-Pacific. They operate seven stores in the Middle East and through a selective network of stockists across the world.
Because of the pandemic and the enormous impact it has had on the retail sector, Kenkoh, like so many others have been forced to pivot certain aspects of their business, but essentially throughout this turbulent time their core objectives remain unchanged.
“We’re continuing to develop new wholesale partnerships for example, open new stores, expand our online offering and continue research and development into new products,” explains Rola Sullivan, Managing Director Europe, Middle East and Asia-Pacific. “Navigating the challenges posed by Covid-19 has been a rollercoaster, but it is undeniably an experience that we have learnt from and the business is now stronger and more agile.”
As lockdowns were lifted throughout 2021, Kenkoh opened in a number of new locations, notably doors were opened to their newest store in Dubai, at the Festival City Mall. Meanwhile in November they launched a pop-up at the Global Village exhibition which is set to run until April. The next store opening will be in City Centre Deira later this
year. They have also signed three new wholesale partnerships in India which will see Kenkoh designs launching in a number of stores across the country.
In the coming months they will be expanding their product range to cater for all daily occasions and stages of life. The company is guided by the mission to improve people’s wellbeing through better footwear and their design team is working on a number of product innovations that will bring more choice, stylish designs with the signature Kenkoh footbed which their customers have grown to love.
“In terms of new markets, we are targeting new partnerships and openings in Singapore and Australia. Across Europe, you will soon be seeing and hearing more of the brand in Germany and other countries, whilst we will continue to forge ahead with expansion into new cities in India,” comments Sullivan.
Behind the scenes, all of their designs continue to be developed by the Yamanashi family and they have a wonderful research team that stays on top of the latest trends and new innovations. Clinical research is ongoing as they strive to understand more about reflexology and its impact on the body and manufacturing wise they are investing in a number of facilities which meet their stringent quality standards.
The business is very active on social media and work hard to share a wide variety of content and connect with their customers through a range of mediums. They have a dedicated social media team and invest in a range of content formats, including short and long form videos. “Additionally, we maintain a presence on a bigger number of different platforms, so we are present for our customers on their network of choice. We know that the omni-channel experience has to be flawless, so we closely monitor how customer habits are changing and constantly adapt our model,” Sullivan says.
When discussing the main aspects of the success the business has enjoyed over many years, Sullivan explains that it is the design of the shoes, which provide support and relief for feet in addition to looking stylish and offering a range of health benefits, making them the perfect health shoe, that has helped the company grow.
Their key differentiator is their unique footbed which is precisely designed and researched in Japan to replicate a reflexology massage. This is combined with biomechanics technology to bring customers a range of health benefits with their standard daily steps.
“We’ve made it our mission to create massage sandals and flip flops that our customers love to wear and that gives them the confidence that they are taking steps towards improving their overall health and wellbeing with every stride they make.”
The company is currently in the midst of a dynamic growth phase and in the future they will continue to innovate with the aim of improving people’s quality of life through access to better footwear. They are actively building on their technology and introducing new sustainable materials and customisation to personalise their retail and wholesale offerings.
“We have an ambitious expansion plan which will also see us rapidly launching in new markets. We already have a strong profile in the Middle East and India but we are looking to bring Kenkoh to new markets in Asia and Europe where we know that the awareness and appeal of ancient Asian healing is strong,” concludes Sullivan.
