Rocky Brands Licenses Name for Belts and Accessories
Agreement to Extend Company Brands Into New Product Segments
NELSONVILLE, OH -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 06/23/11 -- Rocky Brands (NASDAQ: RCKY) has signed a multi-year licensing agreement to allow 3D Belt Company to design, manufacture and sell belts, wallets and cell phone cases under the Rocky and Georgia Boot brands.
For Rocky, 3D Belt Company will produce belts and accessories in the outdoor, western, work and duty categories. For Georgia Boot, the products will have a work influence. The first line of products is scheduled to deliver to retail in fall 2011.
"This agreement is a further execution of our 'head to toe' strategy of providing our customers with a total branded experience. The belts, wallets and cell phone cases will offer an extension to our current footwear and apparel offerings," said David Sharp, Rocky Brands president and COO. "We selected 3D as our licensing partner after a very thorough process because they have the proven ability to design products for our current market segments in the high quality manner our consumers have come to expect from us and our brands."
Based in Schulenberg, Texas, 3D Belt Company is a wholesale distributor of belts and accessories. "We are pleased to have been selected as the licensee for Rocky and Georgia Boot. These will be our flagship products and we will work closely with Rocky Brands to market them through their retail customer base as well as bringing new sales opportunities to the table," said Tony Brock, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales of 3D Belt Company.
In addition to this licensing agreement, Rocky Brands currently also licenses socks through Nester Hosiery. "We see licensing as a key strategy for increasing both brand awareness and sales," said Sharp. "By identifying quality suppliers like Nester Hosiery and 3D Belt Company, we are able to extend our brand offerings without losing focus on our core footwear and apparel product lines.
"We expect to continue to identify other potential licensees in important categories," he added.
Rocky Brands, Inc. is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of premium quality footwear and apparel marketed under a portfolio of well recognized brand names including Rocky®, Georgia Boot®, Durango®, Lehigh®, BUILT by Georgia Boot and the licensed brands Michelin® and Mossy Oak®. Rocky Brands is proud to supply footwear to the United States military. For more information, visit www.rockybrands.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby. Those statements include, but may not be limited to, all statements regarding intent, beliefs, expectations, projections, forecasts, and plans of Rocky Brands, Inc. (the "Company") and its management, and include statements in this press release regarding future plans regarding licensing (paragraph 6). These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the various risks inherent in the Company's business as set forth in periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 (filed February 28, 2011) and the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2011 (filed April 29, 2011). One or more of these factors have affected historical results, and could in the future affect the Company's businesses and financial results in future periods and could cause actual results to differ materially from plans and projections. Therefore there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this press release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the Company, or any other person should not regard the inclusion of such information as a representation that the objectives and plans of the Company will be achieved. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on information presently available to the management of the Company. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
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Mike Alday Email Contact 615-791-1535
Source: Rocky Brands
Released June 23, 2011
