Milestone for Maine’s L.L. Bean

L.L. Bean expects to reach a massive milestone by the year 2018.

The Maine-based retailer says annual sales to top 700,000 next year and hit the 1 million mark in 2018.

In order to get ready for the uptick in production, L.L. Bean has leased a 110,000-square-foot building and plans to install a third injection-molding machine to manufacture the rubber soles. It’s also hiring 100 more workers in the new year to make the boots.

A combination of form, function and nostalgia is behind the demand, said Willie Lambert, Bean’s merchandising manager for footwear.

The original leather-and-rubber “hunting shoe” was designed by Leon Leonwood Bean 104 years ago. The formula hasn’t changed — they’re still handmade in Maine.