North Face 2004 Annual Report Download - page 22

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VF C O R P O R A T I O N 2004 Annual Report
I M AGE W E AR A leader in both uniforms
and licensed apparel, our Imagewear
coalition performed solidly in 2004,
with higher sales and record profits.
The coalition has been re-energized
by its new “customer first” approach,
which has led to a broad based reor-
ganization into six customer-focused
sectors: Industrial, Service, Protective,
Public Safety, Affinity and Retail.
Each sector is supported by a team
that is dedicated to growing the
business, an approach that has already
started to pay off in the form of more
innovative products, superior service
and — most importantly — a tighter
connection between our brands and
consumers. We also are excited about
our January 2005 acquisition of a
licensee of the Harley-Davidson
Motor Company, Inc., which extends
our leadership in that business. We’re
delighted to be partners with one of the
world’s great lifestyle brands.
Our licensed apparel business had
an extraordinary year, led by the
Super Bowl, the Playoffs and the
Wor ld Series. We’re proud of our
relationships with major sports,
including the National Football
League, Major League Baseball and
NASCAR, which has enabled us to
grow significantly by giving sports
fans the products and quality they
want. These high profile events
require enormous service
capabilities to turn out and deliver
huge quantities of products featuring
winning teams within hours of each
event. For example, for the World
Series, we delivered over two million
units within 72 hours. In keeping with our
Customer First initiative, we’ve organized
our licensed business around each major
customer to drive the right solution for
their distinctive fan and consumer base.
It’s working — with licensed apparel sales
growing at a double-digit rate for the past
three years.
As the economy stabilized, so did our
uniform business. In fact, our flagship
Red Kap®brand had its strongest year since
2000. The industry continues to consolidate,
but our position has never been stronger.
Horace Small® ,a leader in the public safety
arena, has teamed with The North Face®brand
to provide products such as The Force™jacket.
Made with the latest in fabric and construc-
tion technology, The Force™jacket is designed
with a layered approach, making it suitable
for every public service activity, including
those taking place in extremely cold condi-
tions. The two brands are furthering their
partnership this year with their support of
“Cops on Top,” a mountaineering program
that honors officers who have lost their lives
in the line of duty. And our Bulwark®brand,
a leader in secondary protective apparel,
continues to drive innovation for safer, more
comfortable products. The service sector
remains a bright spot in the employment
picture, and we’re participating via our Penn
State Textile™and Chef Designs®Essentials
with Style™brands, both leaders in their fields.
At the same time, we’re expanding our base
of large corporate and government accounts,
providing them with a one-stop shop for
all their global uniform and apparel needs.
In fact, VF Imagewear is the largest supplier
of non-military apparel to U.S. government
agencies, including U.S. Customs and
Border Protection and the Transportation
Security Administration.
Two new golf apparel brands for us are
E. Magrath® and Byron Nelson® .Both are
well-known within the golf industry and
will help to extend our reach in corporate
image apparel.
From the boardroom to the factory floor —
and from the gridiron to the speedway —
VF Imagewear has you covered.
Lee Sport
Chase Authentics*
CSA
Red Kap
Bulwark
Penn StateTextile
NFL Red*
NFL White*
Horace Small
VF Imagewear
Lee
Wrangler Hero
Chef Designs
E. Magrath
Byron Nelson
NBA
Harley-Davidson*
NCAA Blue Disc*
C H A N N E L S O F D I S T R I B U T I O N
B R A N D S U N I T E D S T AT E S U N I T E D S T AT E S
*Licensed Brands Image Retail Image Retail
Lee Sport ●VF Imagewear ●
Chase Authentics* ●Lee ●
CSA ●Wrangler Hero ●
Red Kap ●Chef Designs ●
Bulwark ●E. Magrath ●
Penn State Textile ●Byron Nelson ●
NFL Red* ●NBA ●
NFL White* ●Harley-Davidson* ●
Horace Small ●NCAA Blue Disc* ●