N E W S R E
L EA S E
Contact: Peter D. Brown
Vice
President, Treasurer and Investor
Relations
Foot
Locker, Inc.
(212)720-4254
FOOT LOCKER, INC. ELECTS MATTHEW D. SERRA CHAIRMAN OF
THE BOARD
n
Serra Continues as President and Chief Executive Officer
n
J. Carter Bacot Designated as Lead Director of Board
NEW YORK, NY, November 19, 2003 – Foot Locker, Inc.
(NYSE: FL) today announced that its Board of Directors has elected Matthew D.
Serra Chairman of the Board, effective February 1, 2004. Mr. Serra will continue to serve as the
Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer. J. Carter Bacot, who was the Company’s non-executive Chairman of
the Board since March 2001, will remain a member of its Board of Directors and
has been designated by the Board as its lead director when Mr. Serra becomes
Chairman.
“The Board
of Directors is pleased to have named Matt Serra as Chairman of the Board of
Foot Locker, Inc.,” said Mr. Bacot.
“Matt has done an outstanding job in strengthening our business over the
past several years, while strategically positioning the Company for future
growth. Mr. Serra has also developed a
strong management team that is highly experienced and well qualified to
continue to deliver increased value to our shareholders.”
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like
to thank Mr. Bacot for his dedicated service as the Company’s non-executive
Chairman” said Mr. Serra. “His
leadership and guidance played an important role during the past several years
as Foot Locker, Inc. significantly increased its profitability and strengthened
its balance sheet. Additionally, Mr.
Bacot has been an important advisor to our Company in matters of corporate
governance. We appreciate Carter’s continuing
commitment to our Company and look forward to his ongoing contributions as a
member of our Board and as the Board’s lead director.”
Mr. Serra, age 59, was named President and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company in March 2001 and has been a member of its
Board of Directors since April 2000. He
was named President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company in February 2000
and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foot Locker
Worldwide division from 1998 to 2000.
Prior to joining Foot Locker, Inc. in 1998, Mr. Serra served as Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer of Sterns, a division of Federated Department
Stores, Inc., from 1993 to 1998.
Mr. Bacot served as Chairman of the Board and Chief
Executive Officer of The Bank of New York Company, Inc. from 1982 to 1997, and
as its Chairman of the Board until February 1998. In addition to serving as a director of The Bank of New York
Company, Inc. and Foot Locker, Inc., he is a trustee of Atlantic Mutual
Insurance Company and a director of its subsidiaries, and a director of NVR,
Inc.
Foot
Locker, Inc. is a specialty athletic retailer that operates approximately 3,600
stores in 16 countries in North America, Europe and Australia. Through its Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker,
Kids Foot Locker and Champs Sports retail stores, as well as its
direct-to-customer channel Footlocker.com/Eastbay, the Company is the leading
provider of athletic footwear and apparel.
Disclosure Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release
contains forward-looking statements, which reflect management’s current views
of future events and financial performance.
These forward-looking statements are based on many assumptions and
factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including the effects of currency fluctuations, customer demand, fashion
trends, competitive market forces, uncertainties related to the effect of
competitive products and pricing, customer acceptance of the Company’s
merchandise mix and retail locations, the Company’s reliance on a few key
vendors for a majority of its merchandise purchases (including a significant
portion from one key vendor), unseasonable weather, risks associated with
foreign global sourcing, including political instability, changes in import
regulations and the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome, economic
conditions worldwide, any changes in business, political and economic
conditions due to the threat of future terrorist activities in the United
States or in other parts of the world and related U.S. military action
overseas, and the ability of the Company to execute its business plans
effectively with regard to each of its business units, including its plans for
the marquee and launch footwear component of its business. Any changes in such assumptions or factors
could produce significantly different results.
The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or
otherwise.
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