MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), a global leader in the footwear industry and the Number 2 footwear brand in the United States*, today announced that for every pair of BOBS alpagarta shoes sold, the Company will donate two pairs of BOBS shoes to children in need through the Soles4Souls shoe charity organization.
"As a global leader in the footwear industry, we have the network and the resources to make a difference in the lives of millions of children through the BOBS program," said Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS. "We have worked with Soles4Souls several times in the past to provide shoes for disaster relief, including the 2004 Tsunami in Southeast Asia and the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. We are amazed by their accomplishments in those devastated regions, and our CEO Robert Greenberg had a vision to create a larger scale shoe donation program like BOBS to assist Soles4Souls in a constant, ongoing capacity. We believe we can donate millions of BOBS shoes through this program, reaching kids across the U.S. and overseas.”
SKECHERS created the BOBS name as an acronym for the charitable mission of the brand: Benefitting Others By Shoes. With a pledge to donate two pairs of new BOBS children’s shoes for every pair sold, the BOBS by SKECHERS program will potentially help millions of children around the word within the first year the brand launches.
Soles4Souls, founded 5 years ago by Wayne Elsey, will partner with SKECHERS to distribute BOBS unisex children’s shoes to communities and organizations in need throughout the United States, and as needed for international disaster relief and crisis situations.
"We’re excited to partner with a global company like SKECHERS to launch the BOBS shoe donation program,” said Elsey. "More than anything, we need large quantities of shoes to continue our charitable work. There are more than 300 million children around the world without shoes. Tapping into SKECHERS’ vast resources and global reach, we can help even more children in need. A new pair of shoes can change a child's life and we have a tremendous vision for the success of the BOBS program.”
About Soles4Souls
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Soles4Souls has donated more than 12 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes to needy children and families, free of charge. With a presence in more than 127 countries, their charitable work has changed lives around the world and across the United States. For more information about Soles4Souls past success stories and current charity work, visit www.giveshoes.org.
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, as well as in 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.
*Sporting Goods Intelligence, June 21, 2010
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 global economic slowdown and the ongoing financial crisis 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 the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 and the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2010. 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.