Crocs will be based in Broomfield next year

Crocs Inc., a globally known casual footwear company based in Niwot, plans to move to a new home in Broomfield next year.

The company made the announcement Tuesday.

“It’ll give us the opportunity to design our work space around the needs of our team, and will also give us the capacity to expand to meet the demands of our planned growth,” said company spokesman Ryan Roccaforte.

The move supports long-term sustainable growth and talent recruitment and retention, he said. Incentives from the state and the city influenced Crocs’ move to 13699 Via Varra Road in Broomfield, he said.

The new location also is more convenient for the majority of Crocs employees. The 88,000-square-foot space will offer high ceilings and allow for natural light to come through, Roccaforte said. He didn’t disclose the project budget.

Denver-based Venture Architecture will design the work space.

A lease for the building has been negotiated with Ektin Johnson Real Estate Partners, with an initial term of 10 years and two five-year renewal options, according to a company news release.

“We are grateful that Niwot has been our home for more than a decade, and are thrilled to keep and grow our global headquarters in the thriving state of Colorado,” Andrew Rees, president and CEO of Crocs, said in a statement.

The Niwot location, which measures about 98,000 square feet, has served as Crocs headquarters for more than a decade. There are 375 employees at the Niwot location.

Crocs closed its manufacturing facilities in Mexico and Italy last year as part of its ongoing efforts to simplify the business and improve profitability, Roccaforte said.

“Manufacturing is outsourced to a third party,” he said.

At the end of the third quarter in 2018, the company had 389 locations, with two outlet stores in Silverthorne and in Thornton, he said.

“We anticipate that e-commerce and wholesale growth will more than offset lower retail revenues associated with our reduced store count, which we expect to reduce revenues by approximately $25 million,” according to that news release.