Collective Brands Announces Agreement With Lew Footwear Holdings Pty Ltd to Launch Stride Rite and Its Children's Brands in Two New Markets: Australia and New Zealand

TOPEKA, Kan., May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its international growth strategy to expand the company's global footprint for all its brands and businesses, Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) announced today that its Performance + Lifestyle Group (PLG) has signed a licensing and retail development agreement with Lew Footwear Holdings Pty Ltd (LFH), to launch the premium children's footwear brand, Stride Rite, and its broad kids' brand portfolio across two new markets -- Australia and New Zealand.

Under the agreement, later this year LFH will open the first stand-alone Stride Rite store that will feature the range of Stride Rite's children's brand portfolio including Stride Rite, Robeez for Stride Rite, Saucony Kids, Keds Kids and Sperry Top-Sider Kids, among others.  LFH will also market and sell Stride Rite and Robeez for Stride Rite through  Stride Rite shop-in-shops and ecommerce throughout the countries.  

"We are thrilled to bring our broad portfolio of premier children's brands to the new markets of Australia and New Zealand and to do so with LFH -- a leader in the retail and fashion industry in the region," said Gregg Ribatt, President and Chief Executive Office of Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group. "We believe shoppers in Australia and New Zealand will embrace the fun, innovative and technology-based footwear products our children's brands have to offer. We have seen strong global interest for our brands and today's announcement for our children's brands across these two significant international markets helps us expand our global footprint to better meet the growing international demand."

About Collective Brands, Inc.

Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) is a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories to consumers worldwide. The company operates three strategic units covering a powerful brand portfolio, as well as multiple price points and selling channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing. Collective Brands, Inc. includes the Performance + Lifestyle Group, focused on lifestyle and performance branded footwear and high-quality children's footwear sold primarily through wholesaling, with its brands including Stride Rite®, Keds®, Sperry Top-Sider® Robeez® for Stride Rite, and Saucony®, among others; Payless ShoeSource, focused on democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its nearly 4,500-store retail chain, with its brands Airwalk®, Dexter®, Champion®, Zoe & Zac™, the first-ever affordable green footwear brand, and designer collections by fashion designers Christian Siriano, Lela Rose, Isabel Toledo and Silvia Tcherassi; and  Collective Licensing International, the brand development, management and global licensing unit, with such youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk®, Above The Rim®, Vision Street Wear®, STRIKEFORCE™, Clinch Gear™, Sims®, Lamar® and LTD®, World Snowboarding Championships™ and Hind®. Information about, and links for shopping on, each of the Collective Brand's units can be found at www.collectivebrands.com.

About LFH

LFH is a part of the Lew Group, one of Australia's most successful and diversified investment conglomerates. The Lew Group has extensive interests in the apparel and footwear sector and is acknowledged as Australia's foremost brand builder and operator of international specialty stores. The Lew Group operates a number of specialty retail fashion chains within the specialty retail fashion and footwear  markets in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. In addition to operating many of its own brands, the group currently holds the license to operate retail stores in Australia and New Zealand for French Connection UK, Nine West and Steve Madden.  It also has a joint venture to operate  Zara stores in Australia and New Zealand.

SOURCE Collective Brands, Inc.