NEWS RELEASE
CONTACT:
Peter D. Brown
Vice
President, Investor Relations
and
Treasurer
Foot
Locker, Inc.
(212) 720-4254
DRAFT 4
·
Acquisition Expected to be Accretive to Foot Locker Earnings in the
First Full Year of Operations
As
previously reported, Foot Locker signed an agreement to purchase approximately
350 stores for $160 million in cash.
Foot Locker increased its offer to $225 million in response to competing
bids from other suitors. The remaining
terms of Foot Locker’s agreement with Footstar remain substantially unchanged.
“We
are very pleased that the Bankruptcy Court approved our offer for the
Footaction storesthendetermineconstituents,”said,” said
Matthew D. Serra, Foot Locker Inc.’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We now look forward to working with the
management of Footstar to expedite the closing of the transaction. We are quite disciplined with the use of our
cash resources and we believe that this acquisition makes good strategic sense
for our Company and for our shareholders.
Due to our strong financial position, we expect the proposed acquisition
to be initially funded from cash and be accretive to Foot Locker’s fully
diluted earnings per share within the first full year of operation.”
Foot
Locker, Inc. is a specialty athletic retailer that operates approximately 3,600
athletic retail 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.
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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