N E W S R E
L E A S E
Contact: Peter D. Brown
Vice
President, Treasurer and Investor
Relations
Foot
Locker, Inc.
(212)720-4254
ESPN AND
FOOTLOCKER.COM TO PRESENT ESPN SHOP
Athletic Footwear, Apparel and Equipment Offered for Sale
via Direct Mail and E-commerce
NEW YORK, NY, December 14, 2004 – ESPN and Footlocker.com today announced an agreement for ESPN Shop – an ESPN-branded direct mail catalog and E-commerce destination where fans can purchase athletic footwear, apparel and equipment. ESPN Shop (www.espnshop.com) is managed by Footlocker.com -- a subsidiary of Foot Locker, Inc. Both the catalog and the E-commerce site feature a variety of ESPN-branded and non-ESPN-branded athletically inspired merchandise. ESPN Shop can also be accessed from ESPN.com. The first ESPN Shop catalog ships to fans today.
“ESPN Shop provides fans with a trusted destination to buy the sports-related merchandise that they desire,” said Rick Alessandri, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Enterprises. “When it comes to sports and lifestyle, fans know that ESPN and Foot Locker lead the way. The cooperative effort of these two organizations provides fans with outstanding service.”
Dick Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Footlocker.com added, “We are very pleased to have established this agreement with ESPN, a well-known name in the sports industry. This alliance is in line with our plan to increase sales and profits by leveraging our athletic industry-leading position in the direct-to-customers business.”
The ESPN Shop catalog and E-commerce site offer a broad range of top-quality products, including officially licensed team apparel in a fan section, athletic footwear, apparel and equipment in a sport section, and a variety of ESPN and non-ESPN branded clothing in a lifestyle section.
Footlocker.com is a subsidiary of Foot Locker, Inc., a
specialty athletic retailer that operates approximately 4,000 stores in 18
countries in North America, Europe and Australia. Through its specialty retail stores, including Foot Locker,
Footaction, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, as well as its
direct-to-customers 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, disruptions to
transportation services and distribution, 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, 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, and its
plans for the integration of the Footaction stores. 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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