In the U.S., the Reebok Division generally uses an employee sales force forits principal product lines, although it utilizes independent salesrepresentatives for some of its specialty products,Christian Louboutin discount, such as its REEBOK golf andtennis products and its equipment and other sports and fitness products.Reebok’s U.S. national sales staff and locally based sales employees aresupported by field service representatives employed by Reebok who travel toassist in retail merchandising efforts and provide information to consumers andretailers regarding the features of the Company’s products. There are also anumber of promotional personnel who coordinate events and promotions at a "grassroots" level to help enhance the image of the REEBOK brand.
The Division’s U.S. distribution strategy emphasizes high-quality retailersand seeks to avoid lower-margin mass merchandisers and discount outlets. REEBOK(R) footwear is distributed primarily through specialty athletic retailers,sporting goods stores and department stores, with specialty products, such asgolf products and equipment, also being distributed in certain specialtychannels. Distribution of the Company’s apparel line is predominantly throughpro shops, health clubs and department, sporting goods and specialty stores. TheReebok Division also sells its products through REEBOK (R) concept or companystores. See discussion under "Retail Stores" below.
(1) 1995 sales are adjusted to include apparel sales of the retail divisionin U.S. apparel, consistent with the 1996 presentation. Previously, all retailsales (including footwear and apparel) had been included in U.S. footwear sales.
5INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS
The Reebok Division’s international sales are coordinated from theCompany’s corporate headquarters in Stoughton, Massachusetts, which is alsowhere the Division’s regional operations responsible for Latin America arelocated. There are also regional offices in Lancaster, England which isresponsible for Northern Europe; in Munich, Germany which is responsible forCentral Europe; in Paris, France which is responsible for Southern Europe; inDenham Lock, England which is responsible for the Middle East and Africa; and inTokyo, Japan which is responsible for Far East operations and India and is alsosupported by a marketing team located in Hong Kong. The Canadian operations ofthe Division are managed through a wholly owned subsidiary headquartered outsideof Toronto, Canada. The Division markets REEBOK (R) products internationallythrough wholly owned subsidiaries in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany,Ireland, The Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland and theUnited Kingdom and majority owned subsidiaries in Japan, India, South Korea,Spain and South Africa. REEBOK products are also marketed internationallythrough 28 independent distributors and joint ventures in which the Companyholds a minority interest. The Company or its wholly owned U.K. subsidiary holdspartial ownership interests in 6 of these international distributors, with itspercentage of ownership ranging from 30 to 35 percent. Through thisinternational distribution network products bearing the REEBOK brand areactively marketed internationally in approximately 170 countries andterritories. The Division’s International operations unit also has small designstaffs which assist in the design of REEBOK (R) footwear and apparel.
