Skechers Performance Division announced today that seven-time PGA TOUR
champion Matt Kuchar—currently ranked 5th in the world—will
be the first brand ambassador and face of the Skechers GOgolf line. The
multi-year partnership will feature Kuchar in a global Skechers GOgolf
advertising campaign that covers TV, print, digital and outdoor mediums.
Skechers Performance Division will also collaborate with Matt Kuchar on
a namesake signature shoe line.
Matt Kuchar wearing Skechers GOgolf at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial qualifiers (Photo: All Sports Digital Media)
“We are excited to announce the addition of Matt Kuchar to the Skechers
Performance Division as we expand the Skechers GOgolf line,” said Robert
Greenberg, SKECHERS Chief Executive Officer. “Aligning with Matt is key
to our overall growth strategy for the Performance Division and we know
he will play an integral role in building brand awareness with both
consumers as well as the discerning golf community.”
As one of the most respected golfers in the sport, Kuchar’s
accomplishments are noteworthy. After bursting on to the golf scene with
his trademark smile at the 1998 Masters as the reigning U.S. Amateur
champion, he has claimed seven titles on the PGA Tour and is a perennial
fixture atop tournament leaderboards. His 2013 season was a banner year,
as he earned two PGA Tour titles and helped the U.S. squad win the
Presidents Cup.
“Whether competing or practicing, I’m on my feet for hours, so the
comfort and performance of my shoes is a critical factor in my success,”
Kuchar said. “In trying out the GOgolf line, I was really pleased both
with the shoe and with the Skechers Performance Division team. Their
attention to detail and expertise in performance footwear is impressive.”
“Matt brings a great deal of knowledge to our product development,”
added Rick Higgins, VP of Merchandising/Marketing, Skechers Performance
Division. “He offers all the qualities we look for in a brand ambassador
so we’re thrilled to partner with him on our Skechers GOgolf line. We
work closely with our elite athletes to build innovative footwear and
Matt’s insight will help infuse our existing award-winning technologies
into our golf offering.”
This announcement marks the third elite, high-profile professional
athlete to join the Skechers Performance Division. On board since 2011,
champion marathoner and Olympic medalist Meb Keflezighi recently
extended his agreement by three years through 2016 and elite distance
runner Kara Goucher signed on in May.
Driven by messaging that builds on the success of the award-winning
Skechers GOrun and GOwalk platforms, Skechers GOgolf marketing
initiatives will continue to emphasize a grassroots strategy with event
sponsorships, product demonstrations and tradeshows to target the
professional and recreational golf community. Skechers Performance
Division is known for developing products that combine high-performance
technology and innovation with unparalleled comfort, and Skechers GOgolf
follows suit, bringing advanced footwear to the fairway that is built
for functionality and comfort on and off the green.
The success and expansion of the Skechers Performance Division comes at
a time when SKECHERS ranks as the 3rd largest athletic shoe company in
the U.S.* and was recently named the “the hottest major (footwear) brand
in the U.S.” by Princeton Retail Analysis.**
Skechers GOgolf shoes are available for men and women at SKECHERS retail
stores, select retailers including golf pro shops and online. Learn more
at 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.
*Sportscan Data May 2014
**Matt Powell, April 2014 Footwear Overview
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 contains forward-looking statements that are made
pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include,
without limitation, the Company’s future growth, financial results and
operations, its development of new products, future demand for its
products and growth opportunities, and its planned opening of new
stores, advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking
statements 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; consumer preferences and rapid
changes in technology in 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 and its quarterly
report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2014. 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.
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