Wolverine Worldwide is setting up a new office in Spain to run the distribution of Merrell, Patagonia Footwear, Cushe and Caterpillar Footwear, and to coordinate the Spanish sales activities for the 14 other brands of the group that are currently handled by distributors. It's a new business model for the group, which is about to acquire Sperry Top-Sider and other footwear brands, but company officials indicate that there are no plans to replicate it in other countries for the moment. Wolverine has been selling Merrell and Patagonia Footwear directly in the country for some time, and Josep Maria Morera will continue to be in charge of their sales, focusing on outdoor specialty stores, but the new setup should help open up new opportunities in shoe shops and other distribution channels. The new Wolverine office will be run by Yago Quera, an experienced sales manager who worked with Desigual and Timberland before handling Cat and Sebago at their Spanish distribution company, Comercial Importatora Gafa. Wolverine is not renewing Gafa's contract for Cat, which is expiring at the end of this year, but it is allowing it to continue the distribution of Sebago.

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