Oct 20, 2011 • 4:33 pm EDT

SKECHERS Announces Third Annual SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk Presented by Kids Foot Locker

Oct 20, 2011 • 4:33 pm EDT

Star-Studded Event to Feature Denise Austin, Brooke Burke and Tommy Lasorda for Education Foundations and Children with Special Needs

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), a global leader in footwear, today announced that it is teaming up with Kids Foot Locker to kick off the third annual SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk to raise funds for children with special needs and education on October 30, 2011. The star-studded lineup for this year’s festivities include fitness expert Denise Austin as host, and guest speakers Dancing with the Stars host Brooke Burke and legendary Hall of Fame baseball manager Tommy Lasorda.

SKECHERS president Michael Greenberg and legendary Hall of Fame baseball manager Tommy Lasorda at the 2010 SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship walk. (Photo: Business Wire)

This year, the SKECHERS Foundation is expecting more than 5,000 people in attendance and anticipating raising more than $500,000 – thanks to the efforts of our generous sponsors, including the presenting sponsor Kids Foot Locker, our friends in the community, and many other local and national businesses. “We are proud of the amount we have raised this year and the past two years,” began Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS. “But when you think about all the children in need, it just isn’t enough. Working together, we will be able to give more and more children the chance to discover their strengths and passions, build caring relationships, and ultimately succeed.”

Greenberg continued: “We are committed to supporting children with special needs and education. I believe that it is our obligation as parents, business leaders and residents of these amazing South Bay communities to help our schools during these tough times – and to provide assistance to wonderful organizations like The Friendship Circle, which touches the hearts of so many. To have such incredible icons like Denise, Brooke and Tommy as our ambassadors is huge for the walk – as parents, they’ve taken a personal interest in this cause, and we’re deeply honored to have their support as they will bring attention to the plight of our schools as well as create more awareness of The Friendship Circle.”

All of the celebrities share a long history with SKECHERS: both Brooke Burke and Denise Austin have supported the Company’s fitness collections as celebrity endorsees in print and on television, and Tommy Lasorda has been a loyal friend of the brand, joined the Pier to Pier Walk’s Board of Directors and attended the event every year.

“The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk is one of the greatest projects I have ever been involved with,” stated Tommy Lasorda. “I hope we get more people involved because there is not much more rewarding than doing something for the community. We need more people.”

“My hope is that over time, others across the country can also develop walks like ours,” added Greenberg. “That we can take this idea to hometowns where the schools and programs for children with special needs have been most compromised.”

Traveling from the Manhattan Beach Pier to Hermosa Beach Pier and back, the 3.4-mile Pier to Pier Walk includes performances from local schools and activities for the entire family:

The Pier to Pier Walk will also be followed by the 21^st annual World Famous Pumpkin Races at Manhattan Beach Pier.

Produced by the SKECHERS Foundation, The SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk directly benefits the education foundations of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Palos Verdes, and Torrance, as well as The Friendship Circle, a non-profit organization that assists children with special needs and their families through one-on-one peer mentoring and social recreational programming (www.gotfriends.com).

Individuals, families, team leaders and team members can register online at www.skechersfriendshipwalk.com or by mail for $25. Registration at the Manhattan Beach Pier on the morning of the event is $30. Registered participants will receive a commemorative SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk T-shirt and complimentary water and drinks along the walk route. For those who cannot participate, donations will also be accepted until the day of the walk; event sponsors and volunteers are also welcome to participate.

In addition to presenter Kids Foot Locker, sponsors of the 2011 SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk include Wells Fargo, Body Glove, Merrill Lynch, Chevron, Ross Stores, Marriott, Premier Displays & Exhibits, Marshalls, United Legwear, Waste Management, Equinox, Shape Magazine, Star Magazine, Union Bank, AT&T and Nestle, among others.

For more information about the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, please visit www.skechersfriendshipwalk.com.

ABOUT SKECHERS Foundation

The SKECHERS Foundation was established to provide families around the world with the necessities and skills to succeed in life. In addition to organizing the SKECHERS Pier to Pier Friendship Walk, the SKECHERS Foundation funds tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that provide education and job training, shoes, clothing, fitness and nutrition guidance to communities in need.

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, and 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, and follow us on Facebook (www.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 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 SKECHERS’ Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2011. The risks included here are not exhaustive. SKECHERS 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 Company assess the impact of all such risk factors on its respective 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.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50038126&lang=en

SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Jennifer Clay, 310-937-1326

Source: SKECHERS USA, Inc.

Released Oct 20, 2011 • 4:33 pm EDT