Headquarters manager exercise control where necessary. To protect Levi’s cherished brand identity and image of quality, the company has organized its foreign operations as subsidiaries. It is important for a brand to have a single face; it cannot be controlled if there are 20 to 25 licensees around the world interpreting it in different ways. The company also keeps ahead of its competition by exporting its pioneering use of computers to track sales and manufacturing.
The company has also launched a reorganization to focus more on consumer needs. Levi’s Web site has been redesigned to feature a virtual dressing room, custom-tailored jeans ordering, and virtual salespeople who offer tips on matching outfits.
Levi’s continues to focus on global sales with its three divisions –the Americas (NAFTA plus Latin America); Europe, Middle East, and Africa; and Asia-Pacific—employing 8,850 people worldwide. The Americas contributed 59 percent of its sales; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa 24 percent; and Asia-pacific 17 percent of $4.1 billion total sales in 2004.