David Ortiz Steps up to the Plate for SKECHERS
Famed Baseball Slugger to Appear in Global Men’s Footwear Campaign
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SKECHERS (NYSE:SKX) expands its roster of sports stars representing the
brand by announcing that ten-time All-Star Dominican-American baseball
slugger David Ortiz—known by fans around the world as “Big Papi”—will be
lacing up in SKECHERS Men’s footwear for a multi-platform global
marketing campaign set to launch this Fall.
“Twenty seasons in the majors took its toll on my body and especially my
feet,” said David Ortiz. “While I knew I’d miss things about the game,
I’m definitely able to enjoy my retirement in comfort thanks to my new
partnership with SKECHERS. Toward the end of my career it felt like I
was playing on two stubs, but now these SKECHERS have me feeling like
I’m walking on the clouds!”
“We’re thrilled to have Big Papi joining Team SKECHERS and bringing with
him the personality, heart and passion loved by baseball fans
everywhere,” added Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS. “David
represents a perfect fit for our athletic and casual Men’s footwear
collections. The respect he garners will be a home run for SKECHERS. And
with a fanbase beyond the United States, especially across the Americas,
he’ll help us build awareness around the globe.”
Known primarily for his roles as a designated hitter and first baseman
for 14 seasons in Boston, David Ortiz joined the pros in 1992 and
previously played for Seattle and Minnesota. In Boston, he played for
the team that broke the curse in 2004 and won the World Series two more
times—in 2007 plus 2013 when he was also named series MVP. Ortiz is one
of the most powerful sluggers in baseball history—a seven-time Silver
Slugger winner who holds Boston’s single-season home run record of 54
set in 2006. He ended his career with 541 home runs (17th
all-time), 1,768 RBIs (22nd all-time) and a .286 batting
average. Ortiz remains the all-time leader as designated hitter for home
runs, RBIs and hits.
Since retiring, he’s been focused on his charity—the David Ortiz
Children’s Fund—which is committed to helping children in New England
and the Dominican Republic who do not have access to the critical
pediatric services they need. Ortiz will share insight from his life and
career with the world when his anticipated memoir Papi: My Story
releases in hardcover on May 16.
Along with boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and football legends Joe Montana and
Howie Long, who all appear in current SKECHERS footwear campaigns,
SKECHERS has a long history working with athletes to represent its Men’s
collection. Our extended roster of sports icons includes Pete Rose,
Mariano Rivera, Ozzie Smith, Tommy Lasorda, Joe Namath, Ronnie Lott,
Karl Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Rick Fox, and Wayne Gretzky.
In recent years, the range of SKECHERS men’s footwear has expanded to
include a wide array of trend-right casual and sport styles, and
innovations such as SKECHERS Air-Cooled Memory Foam for long-lasting
comfort. Styles from the SKECHERS men’s collection are available in SKECHERS
retail stores as well as department stores and footwear retailers around
the globe.
About SKECHERS USA, Inc.
SKECHERS USA, Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs,
develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men,
women and children, as well as performance footwear for men and women.
SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States and over 160
countries and territories worldwide via department and specialty stores,
more than 2,055 SKECHERS Company-owned and third-party-owned retail
stores, and the Company’s e-commerce websites. The Company manages its
international business through a network of global distributors, joint
venture partners in Asia and the Middle East, and wholly-owned
subsidiaries in Canada, Japan, throughout Europe and Latin America. For
more information, please visit 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 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 international economic,
political and market conditions including the uncertainty of sustained
recovery in Europe; 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 the Company’s annual report
on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. 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.
Contacts
Skechers
Jennifer Clay, 310-937-1326
jennc@skechers.com
