Oct. 8, 2009 (Business Wire) -- SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX), a global leader in the lifestyle footwear industry, today announced that it has signed a deal with Grupo Charly, a leading footwear company in Mexico, to exclusively license and distribute SKECHERS footwear in Mexico. With this agreement, SKECHERS footwear is now available to consumers across North America.

Grupo Charly will begin distribution to accounts this year with select styles from SKECHERS men’s and women’s lines. SKECHERS Kids’ styles will be added to the collection in 2010. Experienced retailers, the company plans to open SKECHERS retail stores beginning in 2010, with a minimum of 10 stores expected by the end of 2014.

“Many consumers in Mexico know the SKECHERS brand. Through Grupo Charly, we will be able to expand our brand awareness and more directly reach the 100 million people in Mexico,” began Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS. “As a family-friendly brand with affordable product, we expect to be well-leveraged to serve this market, and believe Grupo Charly, with 50 years of experience in production and distribution of footwear in the region, is the company to do it.”

Grupo Charly will utilize its production and manufacturing pipeline in Vietnam to produce, distribute and market SKECHERS footwear throughout Mexico.

“The people of Mexico have been waiting for a proper introduction to SKECHERS,” said Agustin Gonzalez, CEO of Grupo Charly. “It’s the perfect brand for us and we can’t wait to get this product to shoppers throughout the country. They’re going to be very impressed by the style and the price.”

“There is great potential and opportunity here for SKECHERS,” said Marvin Bernstein, managing partner for SKECHERS, S.à.r.l. “With Grupo Charly’s expertise in this marketplace, SKECHERS will become a dominant brand throughout Mexico, and we expect it to positively impact our international business within the next two to three years.”

SKECHERS’ recent international expansion includes a distribution and licensing agreement in India, subsidiaries in Brazil and Chile, and joint ventures in China, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

ABOUT GRUPO CHARLY

Grupo Charly, based in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, began as a family business in 1949. After success manufacturing kids’ shoes under the “Campanita” brand, the group eventually expanded to the sport shoe market. By focusing on design, manufacture and distribution of sport-inspired casual footwear, the company’s CHARLY brand became the top-selling brand in México for the last 20 years. In 2001, Grupo Charly expanded its portfolio with additional brands, including licensed footwear for Fila, Disney and Marvel Heroes. Grupo Charly also operates 47 CHARLY stores throughout México.

ABOUT SKECHERS USA, Inc.