Skechers Performance Division Signs Elite Athlete Kara Goucher
Skechers Performance Division Partners with American Long-Distance Runner, Kara Goucher, in a Multi-Year Agreement as Goucher’s Official Footwear Sponsor
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Skechers Performance Division today announced the signing of long-distance runner, Kara Goucher, to the Skechers Performance Elite Team. The multi-year agreement names Skechers Performance Division as Goucher’s official footwear sponsor and will feature the world-class female runner in global marketing and advertising campaigns.
American long-distance runner Kara Goucher in the Skechers GOmeb Speed 2 (Image courtesy of Kara Goucher)
Goucher’s achievements as an elite long-distance runner include winning the bronze medal in the 2007 World Championships in the 10,000 meter, competing on the U.S. Olympic team in 2012 and 2008, placing first in the 2012 USA Half Marathon Championships and placing third in the 2012 Olympic marathon trials in Houston, Texas.
“We know Kara will make a fantastic addition to our team,” stated Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS. “This partnership strengthens our commitment to the Skechers Performance brand and adds tremendous credibility to what we are accomplishing. Integral to our strategy is working with top runners to develop performance shoes that exceed expectations. We believe elite athletes like Kara and Meb competing in Skechers Performance footwear further drives growth in this key division of our company.”
“I am excited to be joining the Skechers Performance Division,” said Kara Goucher. “The team is dedicated to making the best shoes possible for runners of all levels. They take direct feedback from athletes and apply it to their shoe development. Skechers Performance is willing to think outside the box in an effort to put their athletes first. I am honored to be joining this team and I look forward to a great relationship on and off the roads."
“When our team first met with Kara you could sense immediately that this was a partnership both parties wanted to make happen,” said Rick Higgins, vice president of merchandising and marketing for Skechers Performance Division. “Kara’s passion and desire to win coupled with our design team’s determination to build the best running shoes make for a great partnership. We view this as another major leap forward in building product that resonates with athletes and those wanting comfortable technical footwear.”
A competitive runner for over 20 years, Goucher grew up in Duluth, Minnesota and attended the University of Colorado in Boulder. After taking a brief break from competing to have a child, Goucher returned to competition in January 2011 and is currently training in Boulder, Colorado with her coaches Mark Wetmore and Heather Burroughs.
SKECHERS is one of the top five athletic footwear companies in the United States and the Performance Division designs award-winning, innovative footwear for athletes such as 2014 Boston Champion, Meb, as well as fitness enthusiasts and consumers around the globe. Learn more about Skechers Performance Division on our new custom YouTube channel, SkechersGOrun.com and follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/SkechersPerformance), Twitter (twitter.com/skechersGO) and Instagram (instagram.com/skechersperformance).
For more information and interview opportunities, please contact Jolene Abbott at 310.318.3100 x4839 or jolenea@skechers.com.
ABOUT SKECHERS USA, INC.
SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE: SKX), based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of footwear for men, women and children under the SKECHERS name. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States via department and specialty stores, company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and its e-commerce website, and over 100 countries and territories through the company’s global network of distributors and subsidiaries in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan and across Europe, as well as through joint ventures in Asia. For more information, please visit www.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook (Facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter (Twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA).
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 the resignation of the Company’s former independent registered public accounting firm, and its withdrawal of its audit reports with respect to certain of the Company’s historical financial statements; international, national and local general economic, political and market conditions including the ongoing global economic slowdown and market instability; entry into the highly competitive performance footwear market; 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 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 annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013. 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 companies cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can the companies assess the impact of all such risk factors on their respective businesses 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.
SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Jolene Abbott, 310-318-3100 x4839
jolenea@skechers.com
Source: SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Released May 5, 2014 • 10:15 am EDT