Footballer from 1998 World Cup Winning French National Team to Appear in Skechers Marketing Campaigns
PARIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Former French international footballer Frank Leboeuf will be bringing his many talents to Skechers when a campaign starring the popular defender launches in France this month. The 1998 World Cup champion, actor, comedian and sports commentator will appear in multi-platform marketing initiatives to support the brand’s performance and lifestyle collections for men.
«I’ve known Skechers for over eight years now. In 2014, during a trip to New Orleans, I visited a Skechers store where I tried on some memory foam shoes. I was immediately in love, they were so comfortable,» said Frank Leboeuf. «It was then at the Salon Du Fitness in Paris that I met the Skechers team and shared with them my love for the brand. It is important for me to have aesthetic shoes, but especially that they are comfortable because I do many activities during the day. Whether it’s on stage, at the gym, behind the mic as a commentator, Skechers is always the best ally.»
“We have new ambitions for Skechers France. We want to connect more directly with our customers and Frank Leboeuf reflects what defines us: quality, sport but above all comfort. Despite his popularity, he is friendly, spontaneous and funny, so he is an ideal figure that will resonate with consumers in France,» said Stéphane Drapier, Managing Director of Skechers France. «This is a collaboration that will strengthen the awareness of our men’s collections, but it’s also a pride for Skechers to see a local football player like Frank (Lebeouf), who has made history in France, featured in our store windows and campaigns.”
“Europe is one of our best-performing regions and there are great opportunities for the brand within France,” said David Weinberg, Chief Operating Officer of Skechers. “Creating a campaign featuring Frank Leboeuf is a smart investment to grow our men’s business in this market, and we believe it will generate enthusiasm and interest for Skechers and our signature comfort technologies in France.”
Frank Leboeuf is a former French international footballer who played as a defender and began his club career in 1986. From 1991 to 1996, Leboeuf played for Strasbourg before joining Chelsea FC in the English Premier League. He won two Football Association Challenge Cups, a League Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, a Charity Shield and a UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup with the Blues before joining the Olympique de Marseille in 2001 and ending his career in Qatar. In 1998, Leboeuf helped his country win the FIFA World Cup, where he put in a near flawless defensive performance. After retiring, Leboeuf moved to Los Angeles to become an actor, pursuing a passion he had put aside for his football career. After graduating from the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, Leboeuf has appeared in several theatrical productions, as well as in television shows and films including the Oscar-nominated Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything. Leboeuf continues to act in various projects while contributing his extensive football knowledge as a commentator on various sports programs.
Leboeuf is now part of a Skechers team of retired sports icons which currently includes footballers Jamie Redknapp and Michael Ballack, quarterback and broadcaster Tony Romo, defensive end and broadcaster Howie Long, wide receiver Cris Carter, and boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. Additionally, the roster of elite athletes competing in Skechers features ace Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, as well as golfers Brooke Henderson, Matt Fitzpatrick, Colin Montgomerie and Billy Andrade.
The range of Skechers men’s footwear and apparel collections are available in Skechers retail stores as well as skechers.fr, plus department, specialty and footwear stores around the globe.
About Skechers USA France SAS and SKECHERS USA, Inc.
Skechers USA France SAS is a subsidiary of Skechers USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), The Comfort Technology Company™ based in Southern California. Skechers designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle and performance footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and children. The Company’s collections are available in over 180 countries and territories through department and specialty stores, and direct to consumers through digital stores and 4,355 Company- and third-party-owned physical retail stores. The Company manages its international business through a network of wholly-owned subsidiaries, joint venture partners, and distributors. For more information, please visit about.skechers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
This announcement contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, Skechers’ future domestic and international growth, financial results and operations including expected net sales and earnings, its development of new products, future demand for its products, its planned domestic and international expansion, opening of new stores and additional expenditures, and advertising and marketing initiatives. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking language such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” “could,” “may,” “might,” or any variations of such words with similar meanings. Any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include the disruption of business and operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; delays or disruptions in our supply chain; international economic, political and market conditions including the effects of inflation around the world, the challenging consumer retail markets in the United States and the impact of Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine; sustaining, managing and forecasting costs and proper inventory levels; losing any significant customers; decreased demand by industry retailers and cancellation of order commitments due to the lack of popularity of particular designs and/or categories of products; maintaining brand image and intense competition among sellers of footwear for consumers, especially in the highly competitive performance footwear market; anticipating, identifying, interpreting or forecasting changes in fashion trends, consumer demand for the products and the various market factors described above; sales levels during the spring, back-to-school and holiday selling seasons; and other factors referenced or incorporated by reference in Skechers’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q in 2022. Taking these and other risk factors associated with the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration, the dynamic nature of these circumstances means that what is stated in this press release could change at any time, and as a result, actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. The risks included here are not exhaustive. Skechers operates in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time and we cannot predict all such risk factors, nor can we assess the impact of all such risk factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Moreover, reported results should not be considered an indication of future performance.
Contacts
Skechers USA France SAS
PR & Marketing
Tamaya Chalon
[email protected]