Launching a customer loyalty program for footwear chain Journeys is one of four key strategies being undertaken by Nashville-based parent company Genesco, which owns Johnston & Murphy and recently acquired the Levi’s footwear license for men, women and children in the U.S.

Other components include accelerating the banner’s DTC business, which rose 75 percent on a comp basis in 2020 and doubled in size over the five years preceding the pandemic. Genesco is introducing Togast, an app it utilizes in Europe for its Schuh banner, in North America and introducing “Buy Online/Ship-to-Store” capabilities that will include mobile checkout.

This year, Journeys will complete an ecommerce-picking module at its distribution center that is expected to bolster the banner’s digital and supply chain components. Meanwhile, on the cost side, Genesco senior management says the chain’s cost structure will be adjusted to support an omnichannel business model. That effort includes seeking rent concessions to match traffic levels at particular locations.