In a major organizational shift, iconic workwear brand Dickies announced plans to move its headquarters from Fort Worth, Texas to Costa Mesa, California, where it will share space with sister brand Vans by May 2025.
The relocation will impact approximately 120 Dickies employees and marks the end of the brand's century-long presence in Fort Worth, where it was founded in 1922. The move comes as parent company VF Corporation implements strategic changes to revitalize the Dickies brand, which has faced recent challenges with declining revenues.
According to company reports, Dickies experienced revenue drops of 11% and 13% in the three and six-month periods ending September 2024. The brand's performance contributed to VF Corporation's broader challenges, leading to a credit rating downgrade by S&P Global Ratings.
The decision to co-locate with Vans represents part of VF Corporation's broader restructuring efforts under CEO Bracken Darrell. The company aims to refocus Dickies on its core workwear business after what executives described as an overly aggressive expansion into lifestyle offerings.
Chris Goble, who joined as Dickies' brand president in October after serving as a Gap executive, will lead the brand through this transition. The move to Costa Mesa follows Dickies' recent departure from its historic Fort Worth campus to a renovated office space that required a $4.5 million investment.
VF Corporation maintains that consolidating operations in California will help preserve and strengthen the Dickies brand heritage for future generations, despite ending its physical presence in its Texas birthplace.
The relocation is scheduled to complete by May 2025, coinciding with other organizational changes at VF Corporation, including the planned closure of a 500,000 square-foot distribution center in Virginia by March 2025.