How L.L.Bean found “white space” for new positioning

L.L.Bean, the outdoor retailer, has repositioned its brand in ways that reconnect to its heritage while reflecting changing consumer habits.

L.L.Bean, the retailer based in Freeport, Maine, has long had a lock on summer.

In fact, about 107 years before “direct brands” became a digital driver of commerce, L.L.Bean was beginning to demonstrate that a single product could empower a global retail brand. And its “Bean Boots” have been a staple of outdoor recreation ever since.

The Maine Hunting Boot – or the “Bean Boot”, as it’s known to outdoor enthusiasts all over the world – was developed in a single room (the site of the current 220,000-sq. ft retail “campus” that’s open 24 hours a day, 365 days a...

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