PFSW
Global Sports Completes Launch of Partner Web Sites
/FROM PR NEWSWIRE PHILADELPHIA 800-523-4424/
TO BUSINESS EDITOR:
Global Sports Completes Launch of Partner Web Sites
Dunham's Sports' - Global's Sixth and Previously Unnamed Partner - Web Site
Launched
thesportsauthority.com, theathletesfoot.com, sportchalet.com, mcsports.com,
dunhamssports.com and store.webmd.com Open for Business
Substantial Online and Offline Marketing Initiatives Underway
Enhanced Version of thesportsauthority.com Represents Global's First Version
1.1 Web Site
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Sports, Inc.
(Nasdaq: GSPT), an Internet company that develops and operates the online
businesses of leading sporting goods retailers, today announced that it had
completed the launch of its initial six web-sites with the unveiling yesterday
of www.dunhamssports.com, the company's sixth, and previously unnamed,
partner. Global Sports is now fully operating six separate and completely
differentiated e-commerce sporting goods web-sites, including
www.thesportsauthority.com, www.theathletesfoot.com, www.sportchalet.com,
www.mcsports.com, www.dunhamssports.com and store.webmd.com, on the company's
proprietary "common engine" technology platform and through its alliance with
PFS-Web (Nasdaq: PFSW), a centralized state-of-the-art automated pick-and-pack
distribution facility.
The company also noted that its comprehensive
marketing program with Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO) is operational, including teaming
up with Yahoo! to provide the advertising and merchandising for the Sports and
Recreation section of the Yahoo! Shopping service for Global Sports'
partners, an anchor tenant position on the home page of Yahoo! Shopping for
thesportsauthority.com, and a text link promoting www.thesportsauthority.com
at Yahoo! Shopping on the top of every page of sports content on Yahoo!
Since the launch of its first web site, www.theathletesfoot.com on
October 31, 1999, Global Sports has been executing on its breakthrough
e-tail/retail convergence model by fully integrating with the land based
stores and marketing and communications activities of its retail partners,
supplemented by incremental marketing efforts by Global Sports, including the
Yahoo! program, extensive print advertisements and compelling online and
offline promotions. In particular, the company's retail partners are
prominently featuring their URL's in extensive national and regional
advertising campaigns including The Sports Authority's regular full color
newspaper circulars which each have a circulation of nearly 20 million
households and will have a total circulation of approximately 80 million in
the month of December. In addition, Global's partner's are providing
substantial in-store display of their web-site addresses including signage,
employee t-shirts, counter cards and promotions. The in-store integration
also includes the retailers supporting Global's innovative and cost effective
$10 gift certificate program, in which Global Sports on behalf of its retail
partners offers in-store consumers a free $10 on-line only gift certificate in
exchange for the consumer supplying their e-mail address and customer
profiling information.
Global Sports also announced today that it had recently launched an
enhanced version of www.thesportsauthority.com that features easier site
navigation, an enhanced product selection and more extensive integration with
The Sports Authority's land based marketing and merchandising programs.
Commenting on the company's recent progress, Michael Rubin, Chairman and
CEO, said, "We are excited to have completed the launch of our initial round
of Web sites. With nearly a year of development work behind us, it is
gratifying to see the Global Sports model fully on display. By leveraging our
strengths as a pure-play Internet company and our strategic backing by
SOFTBANK Capital Partners L.C. with the advantages of leading brick and mortar
retailers, we are truly breaking new ground in the Internet economy."
Global Sports, Inc. (http://www.globalsports.com) is an e-Tail company
that operates under exclusive long-term agreements the Internet businesses of
leading sporting goods retailers and Internet companies, including The Sports
Authority (http://www.thesportsauthority.com), The Athlete's Foot
(http://www.theathletesfoot.com), Sport Chalet (http://www.sportchalet.com),
MC Sports (http://www.mcsports.com), Dunham's Sports
(http://www.dunhamssports.com) and Healtheon/WebMD (http://store.webmd.com).
On July 23, 1999 SOFTBANK Capital Partners LP invested $80 million into Global
Sports, Inc. Global Sports, Inc. shares are included in the Russell 2000
index. |
