USA Today Expands From Media to Peddling ‘Casual Sportswear’
Move over, Georgio Armani. There’s a new fashion designer in town, and its name is USA Today.
“The Nation’s Newspaper” has announced that it will launch an apparel line under the “USA Today” brand name.
The clothes: men’s and women’s casual sportswear, “designed in accordance with the newspaper’s upbeat, colorful, graphic style.”
A brief read on the plans:
USA Today clothing will be available at national department store chains, sporting goods stores and other outlets.
Schlaifer Nance & Co. will develop and market the line.
Distribution is slated for spring 1992.
Thomas J. Farrell, vice president and general manager of USA Today, said, “Our goal is to create a natural extension of the USA Today brand name to meet the interests of both our readers and advertisers.”
USA Today is published by Gannett Co. Inc., which is based in Arlington, Va. Gannett owns 81 other daily newspapers, 10 television stations, 15 radio stations and has interests in outdoor advertising.
The parent company has posted two consecutive earnings declines in the past two quarters, its first quarters in which earnings failed to improve after more than 22 years of quarter-to-quarter gains.
