Foot Locker, Inc. Introduces Latest Innovative Retail Collaboration: Eastbay Performance Zone at Champs Sports

NEW YORK, May 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE: FL) announced today the introduction of its latest innovative retail collaboration: Eastbay Performance Zone at Champs Sports.  The new shop-in-shop destination brings together Eastbay, the leading direct-to-customer destination for the elite athlete who wants the very best in athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment, and Champs Sports, the preferred store in the mall for the high school athlete who lives and breathes sports.  Champs Sports is evolving and elevating the store experience by dedicating approximately 150 square feet in select stores for the Eastbay Performance Zone, where customers can access the full range of Eastbay's premium, elite-level product from the best athletic brands in the world, including Nike, adidas, Under Armour, Mizuno, New Balance, and Asics.

The Eastbay Performance Zone will empower customers at Champs Sports to view and sample the best seasonal product: rotating football, baseball, softball, soccer, track, volleyball, wrestling, and lacrosse, among other sports, with an ongoing commitment to basketball and training.  The Zone will feature a cutting edge four-foot touch screen display through which the most premium of Eastbay's vast inventory can be shopped and purchased.  Athletes can browse the entire 250,000+ product database available at Eastbay on a computer set up in the Zone.  Among other exciting possibilities, the Eastbay Performance Zone will provide customers online access to full extensions of colors and sizes of products, including cleats, shoes, apparel, gloves, bats, padding, and other equipment.  The Eastbay Performance Zone will be adjacent to the extensive assortment of training shoes, apparel, and accessories already in the Champs Sports stores.

"The Eastbay brand has a powerful connection with the elite high school athlete," said Dowe S. Tillema, President and Chief Executive Officer of Footlocker.com/Eastbay/CCS.  "A very high percentage of professional athletes across many sports cite Eastbay as an important destination for the gear that enabled them to become the best they could be as they competed in high school and college."  

"We know that the Eastbay athlete also loves to shop in Champs Sports to buy the latest and greatest athletic footwear and apparel," added Bryon W. Milburn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Champs Sports.  "Eastbay is a brand that will bring instant credibility to authenticate Champs Sports as a mall destination for performance gear.  Even more importantly, this is a critical technological step in the evolution of retail."

The first four Champs Sports stores to feature the Eastbay Performance Zone will be located in St. Petersburg, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Sacramento, beginning in June 2014.

Both Eastbay and Champs Sports are part of Foot Locker, Inc., a specialty athletic retailer that as of May 3, 2014 operated 3,464 stores in 23 countries in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.   Champs Sports operates 514 stores in 46 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, and another 30 stores in Canada.  Through its Foot Locker, Footaction, Kids Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Champs Sports, SIX:02, Runners Point, and Sidestep retail stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channels, including footlocker.com, eastbay.com, champssports.com, and CCS.com, Foot Locker, Inc. is a leading provider of athletic footwear and apparel.

Contact:

John A. Maurer
Vice President,
Treasurer and Investor Relations
(212) 720-4092

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SOURCE Foot Locker, Inc.