Everlast to Become a Softgoods Exclusive for Sears and Kmart

The Everlast collection will debut at the Sears chain in Spring 2011 at the same time a sub-brand, Everlast Sport, launches at Kmart. The apparel mix will include performance as well as more casual, streetwear looks. The launch will be supported by national advertising, public relations, social media, and sports marketing campaigns.

The deal come as Everlast has struggled to gain shelf space at traditional sporting goods stores alongside Nike, Adidas and Under Armour.  But Neil Morton, CEO of Everlast, in an interview with Sports Executive Weekly, said the deal  is expected to benefit the equipment side being sold at sporting goods stores due to dramatically heightened exposure for the brand.

“For us it's always been about trying to get the brand to as many people in the U.S. as possible and this will allow us to immediately be in over 800 Sears doors and more than 1,300 Kmart doors,” said Morton. “We'll gain prominent positioning as their better athletic brand at both places.”

He was particularly enthused on Sear's efforts to improve their apparel mix, witnessed by the chain's recent exclusive deals for the French Connection and Bongo brands.

Said Morton, “The level of commitment they've shown to making this work is incredible.”

Finally, he noted Sears' strong position already in fitness and its move to open up Edwin Watts in-store shops to support its golf business. 
“Our agreement with Everlast allows us to bring them one of the premier authentic athletic brands on the market today,” said John Goodman, EVP for Apparel and Home at Sears Holdings, in a statement.
The Sears license comes as the boxing brand is celebrating its 100th year in 2010 and follows its sale to Sports Direct, the U.K.-based sports retail giant, three years ago.

Adam Geisler, president of Everlast, told SEW that the brand continues to benefit from increasing interest in boxing as a fitness activity as well as MMA's popularity. Everlast expects to get a boost from a tie-in to “The Boxer,” a new blockbuster movie starring Mark Wahlberg; as well as product tie-ins to “Lights Out,” a boxing series set to appear on the FX network in January.

“What we've always seen is when Hollywood embraces fight sports, whether boxing or MMA, we get a bump and it's a nice thing for us leading up to January Fitness Month,” said Geisler . “So we've really taken a strong position through the wholes channel with our boxing and mixed martial arts equipment and this deal with Sears is a great way to show we're serious about being around to reach 200 years.”