LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skechers, The Comfort Technology Company™, is going all-in on one of the fastest growing sports in North America as Official Footwear Sponsor of the US OPEN Pickleball Championships. The performance brand will be launching a range of Skechers Pickleball footwear for men and women at the event that starts April 23 in Naples, FL.
“Pickleball adds another pillar to our established running, golf and performance walking business. This sport is easy to learn and great for families, so footwear featuring our advanced comfort technologies will be a perfect fit for casual and competitive athletes alike,” said Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “Launching our new pickleball shoe at a marquee event like the US OPEN is sure to make an impression on the court. We’re dedicated to this sport and believe its popularity will continue to expand.”
“Bringing on board one of the largest footwear brands on the planet is key to our strategic plans of elevating the sport and the US OPEN to the next level,” said Terri Graham, co-founder of the US OPEN Pickleball Championships. “As our Official Footwear Sponsor, we know that Skechers will help introduce fans of their comfortable and innovative styles to the fun, exciting and competitive world of pickleball.”
The multi-year partnership with the US OPEN Pickleball Championships will feature Skechers providing footwear to all volunteer captains at the event. Additionally, Skechers will be onsite at the tournament with an expo booth so fans and athletes can experience and purchase Skechers Pickleball footwear as well as off-court styles.
The first pickleball footwear shoe from Skechers brings the brand’s signature comfort and innovation to the court. The Viper Court provides responsive performance in a breathable, lightweight design. The enhanced grip and stability of the Goodyear® rubber outsole paired with a shock-absorbing Arch Fit® insole deliver comfort and support, match after match.
Skechers Pickleball footwear for men and women will be available for purchase at the US OPEN Pickleball Championships and starting in May at select Skechers retail stores and skechers.com, as well as select retail partners and specialty shops.
About SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Skechers USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), The Comfort Technology Company™ based in Southern California, 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 the United States and over 180 countries and territories via department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through 4,306 Company and third-party-owned retail stores and e-commerce websites. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia, Israel and Mexico, and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Canada, Japan, India, Europe and Latin America. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
About the US OPEN Pickleball Championships
Spirit Promotions is responsible for creating and running the Minto US OPEN Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida. The OPEN was founded in 2016. The 7-day event is a world class, international event, which attracts the best players in the sport, as well as Pickleball enthusiasts of all ages and ability levels. The OPEN is known as the Biggest Pickleball Party in the World.
About Goodyear
Goodyear is one of the world's largest tire companies. It employs about 72,000 people and manufactures its products in 57 facilities in 23 countries around the world. Its two Innovation Centers in Akron, Ohio, and Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry. For more information about Goodyear and its products, go to www.goodyear.com/corporate.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of 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 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 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 challenging consumer retail markets in the United States; 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, 2020 and its quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended September 30, 2021. More specifically, the COVID-19 pandemic has had and is currently having a significant impact on Skechers’ business, financial conditions, cash flow and results of operations. Forward-looking statements with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic include, without limitation, Skechers’ plans in response to this pandemic. At this time, there is significant uncertainty about the COVID-19 pandemic, including without limitation, (i) the duration and extent of the impact of the pandemic, (ii) governmental responses to the pandemic, including how such responses could impact Skechers’ business and operations, as well as the operations of its factories and other business partners, (iii) the effectiveness of Skechers’ actions taken in response to these risks, and (iv) Skechers’ ability to effectively and timely adjust its plans in response to the rapidly changing retail and economic environment. 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.
