MIAMI, Jan. 22, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (Nasdaq:PERY) On the heels of the PGA TOUR's recent tournament expansion across Canada and Latin America, Perry Ellis International (PEI) is extending its license for PGA TOUR golf apparel into these exciting, untapped markets. With increased penetration further into the U.S., as well as designing, manufacturing and distributing PGA TOUR men's, ladies and boys' golf apparel throughout Canada and Latin America, the highly-recognizable golf brand promises to be stronger and more sought after than ever.
As previously reported in November 2012, PGA TOUR assumed operational control of what is now PGA TOUR Canada from the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, which will begin play in June. Building upon this international momentum, between PGA TOUR Canada's summer schedule and the PGA TOUR Latinoamérica's split spring-fall plan, players qualifying for both Tours will have the opportunity to play yearlong. PGA TOUR Latinoamérica will play 15 tournaments in nine countries throughout Latin America in 2013 with stops in Uruguay, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Both Tours will conduct their own qualifying tournaments for membership.
Having proven to be the leader in the golf lifestyle business since it originally acquired the PGA TOUR apparel license for the U.S. in 2004, PEI has lengthened its agreements through 2017. In fact, Perry Ellis International remains the exclusive U.S. apparel licensee for the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, and Web.com Tour brands within department and chain store channels of distribution. Products for PGA TOUR in Canada and PGA TOUR in Latin America will launch for spring 2013 across both regions. The golf lifestyle-inspired collection of apparel will include men's, women's and boys' shirts, outerwear, sweaters, pants and shorts.
"We are extremely excited to continue strengthening our existing relationship with the PGA TOUR, extending this powerful apparel brand into these promising new markets," stated Oscar Feldenkreis, president and chief operating officer of Perry Ellis International. "The PGA TOUR continues to gain huge momentum across both international and domestic markets and these agreements, designating Perry Ellis International as the sole PGA TOUR apparel distributor in the Western Hemisphere, further solidifies our global approach towards the entire golf lifestyle."
"Perry Ellis International has long been one of the most important lines in our mix of business," said Tim Hawes, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President of Retail Licensing. "We recognize them as one of the leading apparel marketers in the world. It is our intention to take this already substantial business to the next level in terms of volume and retail performance."
The new licensing agreements are additions to Perry Ellis International's growing portfolio of lifestyle products and powerhouse brands, furthering the company's leadership position in the golf apparel business. This extended licensing agreement allows PEI to leverage their renowned design and sourcing capabilities to meet the associated increase in distribution for the PGA TOUR.
"PGA TOUR has a precise understanding of what is necessary to successfully penetrate some of the most dynamic golf markets. It is well positioned for further success in the golf apparel arena," commented Jack Voith, group president Golf and Sportswear for Perry Ellis International. "With strong relationships and an excellent track record, Perry Ellis International will be able to serve the market opportunity in Canada and Latin America."
For more information about PGA TOUR apparel and Perry Ellis International's full portfolio of brands, please visit: www.PERY.com.
About Perry Ellis International
Perry Ellis International, Inc. is a leading designer, distributor and licensor of a broad line of high quality men's and women's apparel, accessories and fragrances, as well as select children's apparel. The Company's collection of dress and casual shirts, golf sportswear, sweaters, dress pants, casual pants and shorts, jeans wear, active wear, dresses and men's and women's swimwear is available through all major levels of retail distribution. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, owns a portfolio of nationally and internationally recognized brands, including: Perry Ellis®, Jantzen®, Laundry by Shelli Segal®, C&C California®, Rafaella®, Cubavera®, Ben Hogan®, Centro®, Solero®, Munsingwear®, Savane®, Original Penguin® by Munsingwear®, Grand Slam®, Natural Issue®, Pro Player®, the Havanera Co.®, Axis®, Gotcha®, Girl Star®, MCD®, John Henry®, Mondo di Marco®, Redsand®, Manhattan®, Axist®, Farah®, Anchor Blue® and Miller's Outpost®. The Company enhances its roster of brands by licensing trademarks from third parties, including: Nike® and Jag® for swimwear, and Callaway®, PGA TOUR® and Champions Tour® for golf apparel. Additional information on the Company is available at http://www.pery.com.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world's premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 100 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica and PGA TOUR Canada.
The PGA TOUR's mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to nearly 945 million households in 225 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2012, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $122 million for local charitable organizations, bringing the TOUR's all-time total of charitable contributions to more than $1.8 billion.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
Safe Harbor Statement
We caution readers that the forward-looking statements (statements which are not historical facts) in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations rather than historical facts and they are indicated by words or phrases such as "anticipate," "could," "may," "might," "potential," "predict," "should," "estimate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "envision," "continue," "intend," "target," "contemplate," or "will" and similar words or phrases or comparable terminology. We have based such forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, many of which are beyond our control. These factors include: general economic conditions, a significant decrease in business from or loss of any of our major customers or programs, anticipated and unanticipated trends and conditions in our industry, including the impact of recent or future retail and wholesale consolidation, the effectiveness of our planned advertising, marketing and promotional campaigns, our ability to contain costs, disruptions in the supply chain, our future capital needs and our ability to obtain financing, our ability to integrate acquired businesses, trademarks, trade names and licenses, our ability to predict consumer preferences and changes in fashion trends and consumer acceptance of both new designs and newly introduced products, the termination or non-renewal of any material license agreements to which we are a party, changes in the costs of raw materials, labor and advertising, our ability to carry out growth strategies including expansion in international and direct to consumer retail markets, the level of consumer spending for apparel and other merchandise, our ability to compete, exposure to foreign currency risk and interest rate risk, possible disruption in commercial activities due to terrorist activity and armed conflict, and other factors set forth in Perry Ellis International's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including those risks and uncertainties detailed in Perry Ellis' filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are valid only as of the date they were made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or the occurrence of unanticipated events or otherwise.