MIAMI, Nov. 20, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (Nasdaq: PERY ) – Perry Ellis International, Inc. (PEI) announced today that it has entered into an exclusive, long-term licensing agreement with Nicklaus International Brand Management to design, develop, manufacture and distribute men's and ladies' sportswear, tailored clothing and accessories under the Jack Nicklaus brand and Golden Bear icon. The licensed territories initially include the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"We are thrilled to feature Jack Nicklaus in our global portfolio of lifestyle brands. Jack personifies the meaning of a golf and sports icon, as well as a first-class gentleman and sportsman, and he continues to be an outstanding role model through his commitment to family and philanthropy," said Oscar Feldenkreis, president and chief operating officer of Perry Ellis International. "This partnership is evolving during a very exciting time in Perry Ellis International's golf history. As we take Jack's legacy to the next level, I am confident that the rich heritage associated with his brand will resonate with a broad and loyal fan base across the globe."
The addition of Jack Nicklaus represents a diversification strategy which enables Perry Ellis International to leverage its resources and core competencies in product, marketing, and operations to drive consistent growth and profitability.
"The success of Perry Ellis International's golf division emanates from our exceptional capability to offer quality, innovative products," commented George Feldenkreis, chairman and chief executive officer of Perry Ellis International. "We are focused on meeting customer needs across a variety of product categories, and each brand under our golf portfolio represents a unique lifestyle, directed toward a defined consumer, which diversifies our opportunities for long-term growth."
Nicknamed the 'Golden Bear,' Jack Nicklaus is widely regarded as a sports icon and the greatest champion in the history of game of golf, winning a record total of 18 professional major-championship titles, 73 official TOUR victories and 120 total victories worldwide.
"I chose Perry Ellis International for a number of reasons," Nicklaus said. "It's a company with an enthusiastic focus on building a lifestyle business with me. They are a company with ideas that are fresh and innovative. I have always tried to be the best I can possibly be, whether it is in golf or business, and Perry Ellis has a like-minded commitment to excellence. This is an important step for my brand as we look to expand into a variety of lifestyle categories in a quality way."
Nicklaus, who also holds the record for senior major championships with eight and remains the only player to have won all four of golf's modern majors on both the regular and senior tours, will serve as a brand ambassador.
The legacy Jack Nicklaus has left as a champion can be rivaled by the legacy he is leaving as a golf-course designer, businessman and philanthropist. His thriving golf course design firm, Nicklaus Design, has helped grow the game worldwide with more than 380 courses in 36 countries. In addition, Nicklaus-branded products in a number of golf and lifestyle categories have been marketed worldwide since 1962. The Golden Bear is the only industry professional to have been named by Golf Inc. magazine as "The Most Powerful Person in Golf" a record six consecutive years, due to his impact on various aspects of the industry through his course design work, marketing and licensing business, his ambassadorial role in promoting and growing the game worldwide, and his involvement on a national and global level with various charitable causes.
Nicklaus was named "Golfer of the Century" or "Golfer of the Millennium" by almost every major golf media outlet in the world; he was named Individual Male Athlete of the Century by Sports Illustrated , and one of the 10 Greatest Athletes of the Century by ESPN; and in November 2005, the Golden Bear was honored at the White House with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to any U.S. civilian. That same year, he was unanimously named by GolfWorld Magazine as its Newsmaker of the Year.
About Perry Ellis International
Perry Ellis International, Inc. is a leading designer, distributor and licensor of a broad line of high quality men's and women's apparel, accessories and fragrances, as well as select children's apparel. The Company's collection of dress and casual shirts, golf sportswear, sweaters, dress pants, casual pants and shorts, jeans wear, active wear, dresses and men's and women's swimwear is available through all major levels of retail distribution. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, owns a portfolio of nationally and internationally recognized brands, including: Perry Ellis®, Jantzen®, Laundry by Shelli Segal®, C&C California®, Rafaella®, Cubavera®, Ben Hogan®, Centro®, Munsingwear®, Savane®, Original Penguin® by Munsingwear®, Grand Slam®, Natural Issue®, Pro Player®, the Havanera Co.®, Gotcha®, MCD®, John Henry®, Mondo di Marco®, Redsand®, Manhattan®, Axist®, Farah®, Anchor Blue®, Miller's Outpost®, Tahoe River Outfitters®, Original Khaki Company® and Techworks®. The Company enhances its roster of brands by licensing trademarks from third parties, including: Nike® and Jag® for swimwear, and Callaway®, PGA TOUR® and Champions Tour® for golf apparel. Additional information on the Company is available at http://www.pery.com .
Safe Harbor Statement
We caution readers that the forward-looking statements (statements which are not historical facts) in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations rather than historical facts and they are indicated by words or phrases such as "anticipate," "believe," "budget," "contemplate," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "guidance," "indicate," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "possibly," "potential," "predict," "probably," "proforma," "project," "seek," "should," "target," or "will" and similar words or phrases or comparable terminology. We have based such forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include: general economic conditions, a significant decrease in business from or loss of any of our major customers or programs, anticipated and unanticipated trends and conditions in our industry, including the impact of recent or future retail and wholesale consolidation, recent and future economic conditions, including turmoil in the financial and credit markets, the effectiveness of our planned advertising, marketing and promotional campaigns, our ability to contain costs, disruptions in the supply chain, our future capital needs and our ability to obtain financing, our ability to protect our trademarks, our ability to integrate acquired businesses, trademarks, trade names and licenses, our ability to predict consumer preferences and changes in fashion trends and consumer acceptance of both new designs and newly introduced products, the termination or non-renewal of any material license agreements to which we are a party, changes in the costs of raw materials, labor and advertising, our ability to carry out growth strategies including expansion in international and direct to consumer retail markets, the level of consumer spending for apparel and other merchandise, our ability to compete, exposure to foreign currency risk and interest rate risk, possible disruption in commercial activities due to terrorist activity and armed conflict, and other factors set forth in Perry Ellis International's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those risks and uncertainties detailed in Perry Ellis' filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are valid only as of the date they were made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise.
Perry Ellis International Jeremy Gerson Director of Sports Marketing 305-873-1325
