An agreement, which should beannounced shortly, will give SRR an additional brand for its portfolio. StrideRite will own the brand rather than have a licensing contract. ConsideringMeldisco’s tight relationship with Kmart, the potential SRR partner is likelyeither behemoth Wal-Mart or Target. Meanwhile, Stride Rite has plans to expandits own retail portfolio, by 40+ doors in CY02, perhaps through obtainingattractive mall leases post-Christmas. The company’s retail business, whichwill cover 220 units by FY end, produced a 10% revenue increase and a 1.1% compstore sales gain in Q3.

As for Stride Rite’s Q3results, net income fell 8% to $7,153,000 from $7,782,000 for the ... Log in to view full article.