BROWN SHOE LAUNCHES NEW LINE OF DR. SCHOLL'S WOMEN'S FOOTWEAR
CARRIED IN WAL-MART STORES
Dr. Scholl's Careers Footwear is designed for workers in the service industry
| ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, March 7, 2001-- Brown Shoe Company, Inc. (NYSE: BWS) today announced the launch of a new line of women's shoes, Dr. Scholl's Careers Footwear in 1,800 Wal-Mart stores. |
| In 600 of those stores, Brown Shoe has set up 12-foot-long displays called "Careers Shops" that are dedicated to Dr. Scholl's Careers Footwear. An additional 1,200 Wal-Mart stores are adding the line to their regular footwear displays. Dr. Scholl's Careers Footwear is designed specifically for women in the rapidly growing service industry, including restaurant, retail and healthcare workers who are on their feet throughout the workday. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, women have about four times as many foot problems as men. The shoes are available in four athletic and four casual styles, in medium and wide widths. The athletic styles contain Dr. Scholl's DynaStep Inserts, which are clinically proven to relieve movement-related pain and fatigue in the foot, knee, leg and lower back. Those styles also feature the Shock Reduction Outsole System to decrease shock impact to heel. Dr. Scholl's Casual Careers Footwear contain Gel-Pac Insoles, which feature an advanced cushioning gel under the heel, designed to provide shock absorption, comfort and protection for sensitive heels. Background Brown Shoe supplies a wide variety of footwear -- from children's to adult -- to Wal-Mart and was recognized as its 1999 Supplier of the Year. Wal-Mart has carried Dr. Scholl's footwear since 1992. Careers Footwear and Dr. Scholl's are registered trademarks of Schering-Plough HealthCare Products, Inc. Careers Footwear is manufactured for Clayton License Inc., a subsidiary of Brown Shoe Company, Inc., under license from Schering-Plough HealthCare Products, Inc. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates more than 2,500 stores and 460 Sam's Club membership warehouses in the United States. Internationally, the company operates units in Argentina (10), Brazil (16), Canada (166), Germany (95), Mexico (460), and Puerto Rico (15), China (8) and Korea (5). Wal-Mart employs more than 885,000 associates in the United States and 255,000 internationally. In 1999, the company raised and donated more than $163 million for charitable organizations. Wal-Mart (WMT) is listed on the New York and Pacific stock exchanges. Schering-Plough HealthCare Products is the proprietary and consumer products marketing arm of Schering-Plough Corporation, a research-based company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical and health care products worldwide. Brown Shoe is a $1.7 billion footwear company with worldwide operations. The company markets leading brands including Naturalizer, LifeStride, Buster Brown, and licensed brands including Dr. Scholl's, Barbie, Digimon: Digital Monsters, Rugrats and baseball-hero Sammy Sosa footwear. It also operates the Famous Footwear and Naturalizer chains of footwear retail stores. The company was named Wal-Mart's 1999 footwear supplier of the year. Brown Shoe is headquartered in St. Louis, MO. Its press releases are available by fax through PR Newswire's Company News On-Call fax service at 800-758-5804, extension 109435. Brown Shoe information also is available on the Company's web site at http://www.brownshoe.com. |