An award-winning global leader in the lifestyle footwear industry
Unique in its approach to business, the company presents a varied product, offering and appeal to a diverse global market. SKECHERS USA, Inc. has achieved 10 years of success as an award-winning global leader in the lifestyle footwear industry. With global sales approaching a billion dollars, the Company enters its next decade of strategic growth as the second largest casual footwear company in the world and one of the top athletic footwear companies in the United States.
SKECHERS success stems from its high-quality, diverse product line of trend-right casual, dress casual and athletic footwear for men, women and children, coupled with an innovative global marketing strategy driven by print and television campaigns and high-profile celebrity endorsees. Also vital to the Company's growth strategy is its broad range of domestic and international distribution channels, which includes department, specialty and athletic stores, the Internet, and more than 85 company-owned retail stores in the United States, Europe and Asia, including flagship stores in Los Angeles, New York, London, Paris and Tokyo. Through subsidiaries and distribution partners, SKECHERS footwear is available in more than 100 countries and territories around the world.

Since its inception in 1992, SKECHERS has grown its product offering from one trend-setting footwear line to a lifestyle brand comprised of eight lines - including its most recent addition of roller skates. With a broad product base of affordably priced footwear, the Company offers more than 1500 styles for the family.		 SKECHERS has grown its market share, maintained its position as a global leader and continues to be a top resource with its retail partners, which can be attributed to the Company's strong sell-throughs, commitment to customer service and frequent advertising supporting the brand. We believe that the strength of SKECHERS' unique and diverse product offering and distinctive business model will continue to build the brand and facilitate growth.

Headquarted in Manhattan Beach, California, with corporate offices and showrooms in New York, London, Paris, Frankfurt and Laussane, SKECHERS USA, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SKX.

From the boutique around the corner to the premium chain at the local mega-mall to specialty athletic and bat and ball stores, consumers can purchase SKECHERS from more than 25,000 doors through 3,500 accounts in the United States alone.

Truly a global concept, SKECHERS footwear is available in more than 100 countries and territories throughout the world. Outside Europe, the Company's international sales are handled by more than 30 distributors that sell the product to department, specialty and boutique stores in their respective countries.

The BasicNet Group has business activities in clothing, footwear and accessories, for sport and leisure, and for all informal social and professional occasions. BasicNet Group works through the brands Robe di Kappa® and Kappa® and owns other brands which it intends to market in the future, the most famous being Jesus Jeans®.

BasicNet Group identifies producers and distributors world-wide, co-ordinating and developing their activities with the aim of achieving the maximum market penetration of the Group's branded goods throughout the world.

The Network consists mainly of independent entrepreneurs who are granted licenses for BasicNet Group brands and are given marketing strategies and services, research and development, logistics and product purchasing programs, to guarantee qualitative standards, the unique nature and appeal of the style. The company's strategy includes working in Italy and the United States through licensees, company brands and subsidiaries with brands.

Since 1994, the year when the BasicNet Group acquired the Robe di Kappa® and Kappa® brands, the entrepreneurial philosophy of the company has been based on the following strategic concepts:

1. To take advantage of the opportunities arising from the globalisation of the sector, to acquire greater competitiveness for the BasicNet Group and its brands world-wide, through the development of the Network, which now includes 40 companies with key roles in the supply chain.

2. To create a friction-free organisation within the BasicNet Group and with Licensees in which the sharing of real-time information can reduce errors, speed up decisions and operations, and reduce lead-time, making the supply side of the business as closely matching and responsive as possible to consumer demand.

3. To integrate all processes in the supply chain in a modern IT platform developed in-house by the BasicNet Group and acting as the "digital nervous system" of the organisation, based on the use of new technologies and applications in Internet and Intranet environments.

The Group's philosophy is to discover the residual value of integrated activities for the research and development of new products, global marketing and the most competitive use of industrial resources world-wide, providing a retail operation fully and flexibly covering the ground.
The mission of BasicNet is to
create added value for the
BasicNet Group and its brands
by the world-wide spread of the
Network, with the final aim of
becoming a global supplier of
informal clothing and footwear
for sports and leisure activities.

A Long History of Sporting Equipment and Apparel

Howard Head founded HEAD Sports AG in 1950 to sell his innovative (hickory wood and aluminium) skis. By the mid-sixties they were the best selling skis in the US market place.

In 1966 the apparel division, HEAD Sportswear, was founded in the US, selling ski wear and later also tennis wear. In 1969 HEAD Sportswear was introduced into the European market - based in Munich.

During the 1980's, in addition to its sporting equipment, HEAD Sports AG was a leader in the sports apparel market.

The German ski team was outfitted and sponsored by HEAD Sports Wear. Together with Bogner it was the No.1 brand for high class and high quality ski and tennis wear.

To compare with abrand in different markets HEAD resembled Mercedes Benz. In today's sports apparel market, Lacoste would be a comparable competitor (although, HEAD Sportswear's distribution was mostly limited to the German, Austrian and Swiss markets).

The overall image of Head in the UK has followed a different development to the rest of Europe. Sportsline has had the sports bag license targeting the bags at the middle market segment. They have become the highest selling sports bags in the UK.


HEAD Sportswear

In the mid-eighties the European apparel division of HEAD Sports AG (owned by Leslie Fay and directed by Walter Klein) reached its top position with sales of approximately 85 mil. DEM.

The company's strength in apparel is top quality, exclusive design and image and selected distribution aimed at the mid to top end price bracket with a target consumer above 30 years of age. The famous designer Mr. Steinebronn and Mr. Rainer Engel (who have since worked for MDC, Cre-act, High Society and Dress the Bone) were the company's design directors.