Florence Griffith Joyner Collection to Debut At Lady Foot Locker Mid-November

Business Wire, Oct 19, 1998

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 19, 1998--Al Joyner, husband of the late Florence Griffith Joyner (Flo-Jo), announced today that her signature line -- "FGJ" designed by her and developed in conjunction with Saucony and Lady Foot Locker will move ahead as planned.

The FGJ collection features performance athletic footwear and apparel. Flo-Jo had been working on the collection since 1997, and had been intimately involved in every step of the design process. The line will be available exclusively at Lady Foot Locker stores beginning mid-November.

Additionally, Saucony and Lady Foot Locker announced that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of goods under the "FGJ" brand name will be donated to the Florence Griffith Joyner Memorial Empowerment Foundation thereby continuing Flo-Jo's work helping children worldwide.

"Florence had long dreamed of having her own signature line. As with everything in her life, she put a tremendous amount of time, energy and passion into making this line a success. By continuing the work she started, we are adding to her legacy," said Joyner at a press conference honoring Flo-Jo's induction into the Women's Sports Foundation Hall of Fame.

Art Rogers, President of Saucony, North America, who had developed a close working relationship with Florence, spoke of his company's commitment to Flo-Jo and her dreams by stating, "It was a unique and wonderful experience to work with Florence over the past 18 months. We all miss her. The most appropriate response we can make to this tragic situation is to move forward with her work and support some of her other dreams -- including her foundation. We are pleased to offer our support to the foundation."

"Everyone at Lady Foot Locker was excited to have had the opportunity to work with a woman who epitomized athletic style, grace and excellence," said Kathy Davenport, president of Lady Foot Locker. "Throughout 1998, Flo-Jo was committed and dedicated to developing a performance athletic line that reflected her sense of style and flair. We want to share that with female athletes and active women in honor of her memory and all her accomplishments."

Joyner also discussed his commitment to the mission of the foundation, and continuing Flo-Jo's dreams: "She truly believed that if you set high goals for yourself and worked hard to achieve them, anything was possible. That's how she lived her life and that's the legacy that she would have wanted to pass on to children. Now, thanks to this program, we can continue to make her dreams a reality."

The Florence Griffith Joyner Memorial Empowerment Foundation is a non-profit organization providing young people with the necessary financial, emotional and educational support in achieving their expressed goals, promoting self-esteem and social interaction while involving family and friends in the process.

Saucony, Inc., designs, develops, manufactures and markets (i) a broad line of performance-oriented athletic shoes for adults under the Saucony brand name, (ii)high-quality bicycles and bicycle frames under the Quintana Roo and Merlin names, (iii)athletic apparel under the Hind brand name and (iv) shoes for coaches and officials under the SpotBilt name.

With more than 650 stores across the country, Lady Foot Locker is the largest athletic specialty retailer devoted exclusively to women and is part of the Venator Group. Venator Group is a diversified global retailer operating more than 7,200 retail stores in 12 countries in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. Through its athletic group of specialty retail formats, including Foot Locker, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports as well as its direct marketer Eastbay, the Company is a leading provider of athletic footwear, apparel and equipment.