Fila USA officially announced the signing of Bullets F
Chris Webber to an endorsement deal, and also said it is
expanding its retail business, according to Mullaney & Bowie
of the Baltimore SUN. Terms of the Webber deal were not
released, although Webber said part of the contract includes
"royalties" on sales of clothes and shoes he endorses. His
signature shoe will debut in '98 and retail for $85-90.
Webber, who formerly had a contract with Nike, said he had
spoken to Nike about renewing his contract but decided on
Fila due to his "friendship" with fellow Fila endorser Jerry
Stackhouse; the "local ties" of Fila USA based in Sparks,
MD; and because Fila execs made him "feel comfortable." In
terms of retail, Fila, which currently has 33 outlet stores,
plans to add eight to ten new shops in outlet-center malls
in '97. They will also double the number of its FilaSport
boutiques to ten. Fila Senior VP/GM of Retail Donna Sexton
said the company "would shortly" be opening "several"
outlets stores in IN, CT and MA (Baltimore SUN, 3/25).