<P> In parallel with American developments, C&J Clark Ltd. acquired the Blachford Shoe Manufacturing Co. Ltd. of Toronto in 1952, establishing a foothold in Canada led by Hugh Woods and Harold Hughes . Similarities between the businesses in Canada and North America meant Cullerton, Woods and Hughes quickly collaborated . They developed a clear vision of what women's sandals and shoes were required to supplement the demand for men's casual offerings . An Italian resourcing programme was started by Woods in 1960 to get more style and variety into the ranges . </P> <P> Offices were opened in the Empire State Building, New York in April 1964 . Sales were also buoyed by the introduction of the Wallabee in the late 1960s and expansion towards the West Coast . Wholesaling interests were complemented with retail from the late 1970s through the acquisition of Hanover Shoes Inc. who owned 220 retail shops . At the same time C&J Clark decided to bring together its North American interests under one corporation to operate Hanover, Clarks of England and Clarks Canada . The business grew further in 1979 through the acquisition of Bostonian, a well - respected men's dress shoe brand, adding 25 more shop locations as well as entry into 70 leased stores and discounting outlets . Responsibility for Clarks Canada and Clarks of England was transferred to the C&J Clarks HQ in Street in 1986 . Clarks of England and Clarks Canada officially merged in 1987 to provide more operational efficiencies and more consistency of product offering for North America . </P> <P> Bob Infantino became CEO of the North American operations in 1992, taking a key role consolidating the manufacturing, retailing, and wholesaling activities in America into one company: Clarks Companies North America (CCNA) from 1995 . By 1998, CCNA became principally a wholesaling business, serving 170 owned retail locations and 3,600 third party wholesale accounts, representing 14,200 retail outlets . Sales increased by 57 per cent from 1995 to 2001, profits rose five-fold . Infantino left the company in 2010, replaced by Jim Salzano who was at the helm of the North American business until 2013, when CCNA officially became the Americas Region, one of the four regions resulting as part of the re-organization initiated by Melissa Potter . </P> <P> In the United Kingdom, Clarks has long been a popular choice of parents as a place to purchase school shoes for children to wear upon returning to school following the summer holidays . Clarks school shoes have long had a repupation of being robust, hard - wearing and comfortable for children to wear to school, with many parents citing that the shoes, if worn sensibly and not used for tough playground games such as football, can last the whole school year (lasting from August--June in Scotland, and September--July in England and Wales). Whilst many parents are favourable of Clarks as a manufacturer of shoes for their children, in recent years the durability and design of some of Clarks school shoes has been brought into question . Recent insole design of Clark's Bootleg school shoe range has been criticised, with one parent saying that her son did not wish to wear a pair of Bootleg school shoes with what could be classed as childish insoles with bright orange patterns . In response, Clarks highlighted that the suggestions had been noted and passed onto the design team as their children's department for consideration . </P>

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