(Source: Business Wire)
SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), a global leader in lifestyle footwear, today announced the closing of a new $250 million, four-year, syndicated secured credit facility. Wells Fargo Foothill, part of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC), and Bank of America N.A., a subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC), were co-lead arrangers for the facility. Additional participants in the transaction, which was oversubscribed, were CIT Bank, U.S. Bank National Association, HSBC Business Credit (USA) Inc., PNC Bank, N.A., Union Bank, N.A. and Capital One Leverage Finance Corporation.
"We were able to secure a new facility in these difficult times because of our strong financial position, operating history and place in the global market," stated Fred Schneider, the company's chief financial officer. "In addition to this new bank facility, the remaining $95 million of auction rate securities were redeemed, giving us approximately $250 million in cash and investments, which should provide us with sufficient capital for our initiatives and to fund our growth over the next four years."
Separately, the Company announced that, due to the continuing difficult retail environment, it continues to believe that it will break even for the first half of 2009, and return to profitability in the back half of 2009.
"While the extremely weak global retail environment remains a factor in our performance as retailers slowed their orders, we had a good reception to our product at FFANY in June, and we continued to liquidate excess inventory and clean up our balance sheet in the second quarter," added David Weinberg, chief operating officer of SKECHERS. "As we begin the third quarter with our key accounts reviewing Spring 2010, we have an extremely strong balance sheet, strong liquidity, and a significant cash position in excess of $5 per share. We are in a great position to further grow our business around the world, and are looking forward to capitalizing on opportunities as they arise."
SKECHERS USA, Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of footwear for men, women and children under the SKECHERS name, as well as under several uniquely branded names. SKECHERS footwear is available in the United States via department and specialty stores, Company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and its e-commerce website, as well as in over 100 countries and territories through the Company's global network of distributors and subsidiaries in Canada, Brazil, Chile, and across Europe, as well as through joint ventures in Asia.
