Foot Locker 2014 Annual Report Download - page 6

Conclusion
Having joined Eastbay in 1993, four years before it was
acquired by what is now Foot Locker, Inc., I have had the good
fortune over the last 20 plus years to: contribute to the devel-
opment of our very strong digital business; lead our highly
protable European business; and guide our industry-leading
store businesses in the United States, and, in my role as Chief
Operating Ofcer, around the world. From those experiences,
I can assure you that it takes an incredibly strong and talented
team to produce the consistent success Foot Locker, Inc. has
demonstrated in recent years. We have produced 20 consecu-
tive quarters of meaningful sales and prot increases, an envi-
able track record in any industry.
I want to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to all of
our associates around the globe for their exceptional dedica-
tion and hard work that have gone into delivering those out-
standing results.
We know that it also takes developing
and strengthening relationships with our
key partners, including our world-class
merchandise vendors, our supportive
landlords, and many other important
suppliers, to reach the levels of success
you are reading about in this report. I
want to acknowledge and thank
each of them for the innova-
tion, support, and coopera-
tion that they deliver every
day to our business.
I am also deeply grateful
to our Board of Directors.
Each member has contrib-
uted a deep reservoir of
knowledge and experience during our development into a
high-performing company, and the management team and I
look forward to their continuing guidance and support as we
begin the next stage of our journey towards achieving our
vision.
Additionally, I am excited about the opportunity to get to
know many more of you, our shareholders. I sincerely appreci-
ate the support you have shown the Company over the past
several years, and I want to maintain the dialogue you have
established with us as we continue to make progress executing
our strategies and building a stronger business.
In conclusion, let me say that setting new targets is easy.
Reaching those new targets, however, is not. Achieving new
heights of operational and nancial performance will only be
possible through continuing to elevate our engagement with
our customers, at every point of contact we have with them:
in our stores, on their smart phones, on social media, on our
websites, at athletic and sporting events, or wherever they may
be. By doing so, and with the support of everyone through-
out the organization, we believe we can accomplish the goal
of selling just one more piece of apparel or pair of sneakers
at a time: one more per store, per associate, per hour, or per
website visit. By breaking down our Company’s high-level
goals into such bite-sized challenges to which every associate
around the world can relate, we will achieve our vision — to be
the leading global retailer of athletically inspired shoes and
apparel.
Richard A. Johnson
President and Chief Executive Ofcer
2
0
1
3
2
0
1
2
2
0
1
1
2
0
1
0
2
0
0
9
2
0
1
4
EARNINGS PER SHARE
$3.58
$2.87
$2.47
$1.82
$1.10
$0.54
2
0
1
3
2
0
1
2
2
0
1
1
2
0
1
0
2
0
0
9
2
0
1
4
TOTAL SALES
(IN BILLIONS)
$7.2
$6.5
$6.1
$5.6
$5.1
$4.9
5
As I conclude my time as the leader
of the great team at Foot Locker, Inc.,
I want to thank all of you who have made
the last ve and a half years the most
enjoyable and satisfying of my career.
The list to whom I owe my deepest grati-
tude includes our very engaged Board of
Directors, our talented Executive Com-
mittee, all of our outstanding associates
in the stores and facilities worldwide, our
world-class vendor partners, our excellent landlords, and all of our other
suppliers. And, of course, that list includes you, our shareholders, who
have supported and believed in the Company during our transformation
into a high-performance company.
Foot Locker has accomplished a great deal over the past ve years, and
we are proud of the successful execution of our strategies and the very
strong results. There are many more opportunities ahead for the Com-
pany, and I know under Dick Johnson’s leadership the team will continue
to reach new heights of operational and nancial performance.
Ken C. Hicks
Executive Chairman