Former Netherlands National Team Captain Will Appear in Skechers Marketing Campaigns as the Brand’s First Ambassador for Benelux
Ruud Gullit, football legend and former captain of the Netherlands National Team, has signed on with global footwear brand Skechers as its first ambassador in Benelux. Named World Soccer Player of the Year twice and known as a “Total Footballer,” Gullit will be featured in multi-platform marketing for Skechers’ footwear and apparel collections, including Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins® as his first campaign.
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Skechers Benelux ambassador and football legend Ruud Gullit in Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins® footwear. (Photo: Business Wire)
"I've always had a love for stylish shoes. My time playing football in Italy only enhanced that, and the look and feel of Skechers continues to impress me," Ruud Gullit said. "I've thoroughly studied their shoes and visited several stores before engaging with the brand. The versatility of their range immediately appealed to me—especially the comfort, convenience and style of Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins. There's something for everyone, as I like to say. Whether I'm doing analysis on television, working out, playing golf, or attending a more formal event, Skechers offers appropriate shoes for every occasion."
"Skechers not only boast stylish looks, but they also provide comfort, thanks to the innovative technologies they're known for," Gullit continued. "Their dedication to active lifestyles and sports perfectly aligns with my own motivations and values as a former professional football player. I am looking forward to our collaboration and am proud to be the brand’s first ambassador in my home country."
"Ruud Gullit is the ideal choice for Skechers because of his charisma, enthusiasm and humor,” said Maurice van Berkel, Country Manager, Skechers USA Benelux B.V. "As a football legend who has made significant contributions to Dutch and European football, Ruud has an instant connection with fans across the region. We are excited to embark on this journey together beginning with our new Skechers Hands Free Slip-ins campaign, reaching new heights, and enhancing his role in our dynamic and ambitious brand growth."
Born in Amsterdam, Ruud Gullit is considered one of the greatest Dutch footballers of all time. He has played for renowned clubs including HFC Haarlem, Feyenoord, PSV, AC Milan, Sampdoria, and Chelsea. Gullit captained the "golden generation" that became European champions in 1988. Following his illustrious playing career, he transitioned into coaching roles at clubs such as Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Feyenoord. Today, he serves as a football analyst on sports programs.
In addition to Gullit, Skechers features former footballers in its lifestyle advertising across Europe including Jamie Redknapp, Frank Lebœuf, and Fabio Cannavaro. The brand also has a roster of premier league football stars currently competing in Skechers boots on the pitch including Harry Kane, Mohammed Kudus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, and Anthony Elanga.
Skechers' men's footwear and apparel are available in Skechers stores, at skechers.nl and skechers.be and in department stores, specialty stores and shoe stores worldwide.
About Skechers U.S.A. Benelux B.V. and Skechers U.S.A., Inc.
Skechers USA Benelux B.V. is a subsidiary of Skechers U.S.A., Inc. (NYSE:SKX), The Comfort Technology Company® based in Southern California. Skechers designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company’s collections are available in 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through skechers.com and approximately 5,200 Skechers retail stores. A Fortune 500® company, Skechers manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook,Instagram and TikTok.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and 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,” “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 disruption of business and operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; delays or disruptions in our supply chain; international economic, political and market conditions including the effects of inflation and foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations around the world, the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States, and the impact of wars, acts of war and other conflicts around the world; 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, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; 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’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q in 2024. Taking these and other risk factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration, the dynamic nature of these circumstances means that what is stated in this press release could change at any time, and as a result, actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. 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 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 future performance.
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