February 2, 2004
BOSTON, February 2, 2004 -- New Balance, Inc., a globally recognized leader in the manufacture of performance athletic footwear and apparel, announced today it has acquired Warrior Lacrosse of Warren, Michigan. Warrior Lacrosse is widely recognized as the world's most cutting edge manufacturer of lacrosse equipment.
Warrior Lacrosse was founded in 1993 by Dave Morrow, former lacrosse champion at Princeton University. Warrior will remain based in Warren and continue to independently operate all manufacturing, marketing and sales functions. The acquisition included the assets of Stryke Lacrosse Inc., a helmet company.
"Lacrosse is one of the country's fastest growing sports with young athletes that fit New Balance's high-performance, technical consumer demographic," says Jim Davis, New Balance Chairman and CEO. "Dave and Christine Morrow have established the premiere lacrosse company in the world and we are proud to have them join the New Balance family."
"We are excited for the opportunity to work with New Balance, and look forward to a bright and successful future of building the Warrior brand together," says Dave Morrow, Warrior Lacrosse Founder and President. "Both New Balance and Warrior are high-performance brands with strong retail partnerships that focus primarily on grassroots marketing efforts."
Recently, Warrior has partnered with New Balance to ensure the optimal combination of lacrosse experience and footwear expertise. The Warrior Burn lacrosse shoe by New Balance will be available in stores in early February, 2004. Designed and tested by members of the Warrior Lacrosse Players Club Team, the Burn is the world's first lacrosse shoe developed by the world's best players.
"We already have a significant relationship with Warrior through our sponsorship of Major League Lacrosse and co-branding of the Warrior Burn lacrosse shoe, so we know they are a good fit with our company culture and philosophies," says Davis. "We are also planning to emphasize team sports more in the future and Warrior's expertise in the lacrosse and team market makes this union a solid match."
Both New Balance and Warrior are privately-held and are sponsors of Major League Lacrosse, the premiere professional outdoor lacrosse league. Lacrosse is considered to be America's oldest sport.
Warrior Lacrosse, founded in 1993, is the premier manufacturer of innovative, high performance lacrosse equipment and apparel in the world. Warrior is original, young, energetic, and unafraid of creating changes that can lead into uncharted territory. It is a distinct expression of the ambition, creativity, and will of Founder and President Dave Morrow, a former champion lacrosse player. Warrior is the exclusive equipment supplier to the US Men's and Women's Teams and Major League Lacrosse, as well as presenting sponsor for the Laxsplash (MD), Mass Bay (MA), and US Lacrosse (NY) youth tournaments, among others. After taking the lacrosse world by storm in 2003 with its groundbreaking Major League Lacrosse equipment and women's equipment and apparel line, Warrior will again turn heads and raise the bar with its 2004 line, introduction of the Burn, and the emerging Player's Club Experience. For more information on Warrior Lacrosse please visit www.warriorlacrosse.com.
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA, is a leading manufacturer of technologically innovative width-sized performance footwear and athletic apparel for women, men, and children. The range of product categories includes running, walking, cross training, basketball, tennis, adventure, and kids. Dunham joined the New Balance family in Fall 1998. Dunham is an outdoor performance brand known for its technologies, innovations and development of footwear that is lightweight, comfortable and inspired by the world outside. New Balance acquired the rights to the PF Flyers brand in February 2000. First introduced in 1937 by the B.F. Goodrich Company, PF Flyers was re-launched in Spring 2003 as an authentic brand of active casual footwear. Aravon® comfort performance brand footwear debuted in January 2004 as an unsurpassed blend of fit, comfort, support and style. New Balance employs more than 2,400 people around the globe, and in 2003 reported worldwide sales of $1.3 billion. For more information please visit http://www.newbalance.com.
