Skechers Chief Executive Officer Releases Letter to Employees
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Robert Greenberg, Chief Executive Officer of Skechers, Inc. (NYSE:SKX) today released the following letter to the Company's Employees:
"Dear Employees:
I am writing to address some market rumors and speculation about our Company. An article in yesterday's Women's Wear Daily contains an assertion that a certain private equity firm is analyzing Skechers, with the expectation that Skechers may be exploring a buyout. It is our policy not to comment on any acquisition rumors.
With the ready availability of significant capital in private equity funds and Skechers attractiveness as a franchise, rumors and speculation are not surprising. Unfortunately, the kind of rumor contained in the article can be disruptive to our employees and customers and our business. Our focus is and continues to be the continued execution of our business to serve the interests of our customers and employees and create long-term value for our shareholders. Putting our customers first is our primary business strategy and we intend to continue to focus on this as always."
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 10 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 Canadian and European subsidiaries. Please visit www.skechers.com or call the company's information line at 877-INFO-SKX.
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 of the Company, 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 the Company's 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; intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers; changes in fashion trends and consumer demands; popularity of particular designs and categories of products; the level of sales during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; the ability to anticipate, identify, interpret or forecast changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for our products and the various market factors described above; the ability of the Company to maintain its brand image; the ability to sustain, manage and forecast the Company's growth and inventories; the ability to secure and protect trademarks, patents and other intellectual property; the loss of any significant customers, decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments; potential disruptions in manufacturing related to overseas sourcing and concentration of production in China, including, without limitation, difficulties associated with political instability in China, the occurrence of a natural disaster or outbreak of a pandemic disease in China, or electrical shortages, labor shortages or work stoppages that may lead to higher production costs and/or production delays; changes in monetary controls and valuations of the Yuan by the Chinese government; increased costs of freight and transportation to meet delivery deadlines; violation of labor or other laws by the Company's independent contract manufacturers, suppliers or licensees; potential imposition of additional duties, tariffs or other trade restrictions; business disruptions resulting from natural disasters such as an earthquake due to the location of the Company's domestic warehouse, headquarters and a substantial number of retail stores in California; changes in business strategy or development plans; the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; the disruption, expense and potential liability associated with existing or unanticipated future litigation. The risks included here are not exhaustive. We operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and we cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our 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 the Company's future performance.
Source: SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Released May 22, 2007 • 4:31 pm EDT