Brown Shoe Acquires American Sporting Goods Corporation

Brown Shoe Company, Inc. and American Sporting Goods Corporation (ASG) announce that Brown Shoe has acquired ASG, a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of athletic footwear, for $145 million in cash plus assumed net debt. This acquisition broadens Brown Shoe's reach with consumers seeking healthier lifestyles by complementing its fitness and comfort offerings with global performance athletic brands recognized for delivering a strong value proposition through innovative footwear, including Avia, ryka and AND1.  

 

"Acquiring ASG adds the critical element of performance athletic footwear to our comfort and fitness offerings, better positioning Brown Shoe to meet consumer demand for products that support active and healthy lifestyles. We also gain talent with capabilities that can be applied across our enterprise -- designers skilled in creating technical athletic footwear as well as sales and leadership teams experienced in reaching retail partners and consumers within the healthy living trend. Moreover, with the backing of Brown Shoe's strong balance sheet, sourcing organization, technology platform and other resources, the entire ASG family of brands will have additional opportunities for growth and increased market share," says Brown Shoe president and chief operating officer Diane Sullivan. 

 

For its most recently completed fiscal year, ASG achieved net sales of $232 million, the majority of which was attributed to its Avia, ryka and AND1 brands, with estimated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $29.6 million. Brown Shoe expects accretion of $0.10 - $0.12 per diluted share in 2011, excluding the impact of certain purchase accounting adjustments as well as transaction and integration costs.