YORK, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT) today announced HBO’s True Blood star, Ryan Kwanten, has teamed up with the Company and the Sydney-based surfwear/streetwear brand, Mambo, to be the brand’s ambassador for The Bon-Ton Stores. The Mambo brand is sold exclusively in the United States at all Bon-Ton Stores locations. The entire Mambo collection launches in all of The Bon-Ton Stores’ eight nameplates for spring 2012, which will coincide with a media and marketing campaign, including personal appearances by Ryan Kwanten.
“We are very pleased with our partnership with Mambo and excited about being the first retailer in the US to offer this iconic Australian surfwear/streetwear brand. We believe Ryan will be an outstanding ambassador for this brand – and certainly one this customer will relate to,” commented Bud Bergren, President and CEO of The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. “I am sure our younger customers will be thrilled, not only with the Mambo line, but with the exclusive designs Ryan will be creating for us.”
Mambo is a fashion company built on the four lifestyle pillars of surf, art, music and humor. Kwanten, who embodies these lifestyle pillars, will serve as the face of the ad campaign and in-store visuals, while also lending his artistic influence and design to the brand for select t-shirt styles as part of the Mambo Artist Program. All designs by the actor will include his signature.
"I grew up with Mambo – my very first pair of board shorts were Mambo,” commented Ryan Kwanten. “I have been living in the US for 10 years now and when the opportunity came up to work with Mambo, not just in designing a few of their t-shirt graphics, but in launching Mambo in the US with The Bon-Ton Stores, I couldn't resist.”
"Mambo is rapt to have Ryan on the team as a ‘Mambassador’ and the face of Mambo through The Bon-Ton Stores in the US. He epitomizes the brand as a creative, funny guy with a love for the surf and an intelligence that belies his True Blood character's on-screen persona. Importantly, he is not only a brilliant actor but a cracking good bloke,” Angus Kingsmill, Managing Director of Mambo Graphics, said. “I think it's a very cool side story that our excellent partners at Bon-Ton approached the US-based Aussie star close to 10,000 miles from Mambo's beachside Sydney HQ. Unbeknownst to them, Ryan grew up living with his family a few streets from of our graphics studio near Manly Beach, wearing Mambo as one of his favorite brands."
Young men’s and boy’s Mambo apparel is in The Bon-Ton Stores’ locations now. The complete Mambo line will be available in spring 2012 and will include an extensive collection of graphic t-shirts, sportswear, swimwear and flip-flops for young men, juniors and children.
About The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.:
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., with corporate headquarters in York, Pennsylvania and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, operates 275 department stores, which includes 11 furniture galleries, in 23 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers nameplates and, in the Detroit, Michigan area, under the Parisian nameplate. The stores offer a broad assortment of national and private brand fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings. For further information, please visit the investor relations section of the Company’s website at http://investors.bonton.com.
About Mambo:
Mambo is an Australian company established in 1984 and is owned by The Nervous Investor Group, a collective of creative and surfing entrepreneurs. Mambo has hosted major international music festivals, surfing events and has had its unique art exhibited in museums around the world. Mambo develops young artistic talent, produces innovative products, artworks and quality clothing. In 2000, due to demand from the athletes, Mambo designed the Australian team uniforms for the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games. There have been several books written on Mambo, as well as a lead business TIME magazine article, and just last year, esteemed UK publication, Cult Street Wear, listed Mambo as one of the world’s most influential apparel brands of the past 30 years alongside Nike, Adidas and A Bathing Ape.
About Ryan Kwanten:
Ryan can be seen starring alongside Academy Award winner Anna Paquin in the highly rated HBO series “True Blood,” from creator Alan Ball (Six Feet Under). Based on the book series “Southern Vampire” by Charlaine Harris, the show follows the world of vampires, who are able to co-exist with humans by drinking a Japanese-manufactured synthetic blood. The show has received many accolades including an Emmy Nomination for Best Drama Series a Golden Globe nomination for Best Television Series – Drama and a People’s Choice nominations for Best TV Show and TV Obsession. Last year, Ryan received a Teen Choice nomination for Choice TV Male: Drama. Ryan’s additional television credits include the role of Jay Robertson in the critically acclaimed Warner Bros. series “Summerland,” which ran for two seasons. He was also a lead in the ESPN original movie “The Junction Boys.”
In film, Ryan recently wrapped production on the Australian romantic comedy “Not Suitable For Children.” The film is based on a freewheeling guy at the peak of his life who finds out he will become infertile in a month, which sparks a race against the clock to find a suitor. “Knights of Badassdom,” about a group of live-action role players who conjure up a demon from hell by mistake and must deal with the consequences, is slated to be released in early 2012. His other film credits include Zach Snyder’s animated film “The Legend of the Guardians,” “Red Hill,” a modern day revenge Western, “Griff the Invisible,” “Flicka” and “American Brown.”
A native of Australia, Ryan began his acting career while attending Sydney University, where he earned a degree in business. He starred in numerous feature films and television shows and gained international notoriety when he joined the cast of the long-running popular Australian series “Home and Away.” A published writer, Ryan is currently working on a new book.
An accomplished athlete, Ryan qualified for the world Biathlon in Sweden in 2006 and Italy 2007 after winning the LA Biathlon series two years running. He is a qualified yoga instructor and spends his free time bike riding, surfing and has a passion for completing triathlons.
Certain information included in this press release and other materials filed or to be filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission contain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements, which may be identified by words such as “may,” “could,” “will,” “plan,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend” or other similar expressions, involve important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company. Factors that could cause such differences include, but are not limited to, risks related to retail businesses generally; a significant and prolonged deterioration of general economic conditions which could negatively impact the Company, including the potential write-down of the current valuation of intangible assets and deferred taxes; changes in the terms of the Company’s proprietary credit card program; potential increase in pension obligations; consumer spending patterns, debt levels, and the availability and cost of consumer credit; additional competition from existing and new competitors; inflation; deflation; changes in the costs of fuel and other energy and transportation costs; weather conditions that could negatively impact sales; uncertainties associated with expanding or remodeling existing stores; the ability to attract and retain qualified management; the dependence upon relationships with vendors and their factors; a security breach; the ability to reduce SG&A expenses; the incurrence of unplanned capital expenditures; the ability to realize the expected benefits from our planned changes in operating structure; the ability to obtain financing for working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purpose; the impact of new regulatory requirements including the CARD Act; and the financial condition of mall operators. Additional factors that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ from those contained in these forward-looking statements are discussed in greater detail under Item 1A of the Company’s Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50008449&lang=en