SKECHERS to Enter Medical Apparel Market in January 2010
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), a global leader in the lifestyle footwear industry, today announced that it signed a licensing agreement with Strategic Partners, Inc., the makers of Cherokee Medical Apparel, to create and distribute a SKECHERS-branded line of apparel for nurses and other healthcare professionals that will launch in January 2010.
The SKECHERS collection will feature a younger, more flattering fit than traditional medical apparel. Through innovative silhouettes, prints and fabrications, the line will utilize ready-to-wear trends in basics like scrubs, pants, jackets and tees. Branded designer accents will include SKECHERS logo buttons, flag labels, jacquard ribbons, and zipper pulls. The SKECHERS medical apparel line will be available in a wide range of sizes.
"Doctors and nurses already love our SKECHERS WORK non-slip footwear products," said Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS. "This new medical apparel line perfectly complements our workplace footwear offerings and will be a fantastic extension to the SKECHERS brand and lifestyle within medical environments."
"SKECHERS Medical Apparel represents the fashionable, fun and feminine side of caregivers who want to allow their style sense to carry over into their jobs," said Michael Singer, CEO of Strategic Partners, Inc. "SKECHERS is in strong demand around the world, and creating SKECHERS branded medical apparel will give healthcare professionals the opportunity to indulge their personal sense of style while on the job."
SKECHERS Medical Apparel will be available at independent uniform retail stores and in catalogs.
About Strategic Partners, Inc.
Strategic Partners, Inc. is a recognized national leader in the design and manufacturing of medical, school, and footwear uniform categories. It distributes medical apparel under the labels of Cherokee, SKECHERS, Disney, Baby Phat, the NFL, and others. The company supports nurses and other healthcare professionals through the "Cherokee Inspired Comfort Awards," a national awards program, scholarships for students enrolled in nursing schools, and an inspirational film for nurses "A Nurse I Am" (www.anurseiam.com). The corporation's home office is in Chatsworth, California, with a state-of-the-art distribution center in Dallas, Texas.
About SKECHERS USA, Inc.
SKECHERS USA, Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of footwear for men, women and children under the SKECHERS name, as well as under several uniquely branded names. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States via department and specialty stores, Company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and its e-commerce website, as well as in over 100 countries and territories through the Company's global network of distributors and subsidiaries in Canada, Brazil, Chile, and across Europe, as well as through joint ventures in Asia. For more information, please visit www.skechers.com.
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or simply state future results, performance or achievements, and can be identified by the use of forward looking language such as "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "estimate," "intend," "plan," "project," "will be," "will continue," "will result," "could," "may," "might," or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include international, national and local general economic, political and market conditions including the global economic slowdown and the ongoing financial crisis and market instability; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers, decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of the company's products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2009. The risks included here are not exhaustive. The Company operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and the Company cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all such risk factors on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.
Source: SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Released Nov 10, 2009 • 9:05 am EST