News shorts...8/12/03

Eastern Mountain Sports selected Retek's merchandising and planning solutions to better analyze its business and meet the expectations of its customers. With selective customers and unique demands by geography and store, EMS will benefit from Retek's sophisticated merchandising and planning systems that will further enhance EMS' detailed inventory and sales analysis at the store/SK) level.

Oakley will start paying an annual dividend of $0.14 a share. "In light of the recent tax law changes that provide investors with the same federal tax rates for share appreciation and dividends, and given our sound cash flow generating business model, we believe it is appropriate to return value to our shareholders by commencing a regular annual dividend," COO Link Newcomb said. The dividend is payable October 31 to shareholders of record October 15.

DuPont is in exclusive negotiations with subsidiaries of Koch Industries regarding the possible sale of DuPont Textiles & Interiors. The company informed employees that Koch representatives would be visiting DTI sites as part of the due diligence process. On April 14, DuPont announced that it was engaged in preliminary negotiations to sell DTI, but did not name Koch. Given the ongoing nature of the discussions, DuPont said it would not provide any additional information at this time. There can be no assurance that the negotiations will result in an agreement being reached or, if an agreement is reached, of the terms, conditions or timing of any potential transaction. DuPont does not intend to make any further public announcement unless and until a definitive agreement has been signed or discussions have been terminated.

Milliken & Co, introduced StainSmart, a new dual-action technology offered exclusively through Milliken fabrics that combines the benefits of stain repellency with the added feature of stain release. Milliken will debut the fabric technology at this month's Outdoor Retailer Trade Show, August 14-17, in Salt Lake City. StainSmart is currently available as part of Milliken's new quiet and lightweight, ultra-soft nylon outerwear offering. The combined capabilities of StainSmart and Milliken's nylon fabrics are ideal for high performance active apparel, workwear, military, uniform, and the casual menswear and womenswear markets. StainSmart technology can also be available for custom fabric development in a variety of uses and markets.

Sport Supply Group's net income before cumulative effect of accounting change for Q2 was $115,000, as compared to $210,000 in 2002. EPS for the quarter, before cumulative effect of accounting change, was $0.01 per diluted share, as compared to $0.02 the previous year. The June 2002 quarter reflects a one-time, $7.4 million non-cash charge associated with the cumulative accounting effect of implementing Financial Accounting Standards Board Statement 142. The loss for the quarter ending June 2002 was $0.81 per diluted share after this non-cash charge.

Delta Apparel said it should close on the acquisition of MJ Soffe next month.

Pro Bowl running back Eddie George has joined Team Jordan. As part of George's deal with Team Jordan, the Tennessee Titans star will be featured in advertising, marketing, public relations and community outreach initiatives for the brand. Jordan's Fall 2003 back-to-school print ad campaign will feature George alongside Team Jordan football stars Warren Sapp (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Charles Woodson (Oakland Raiders), set to the tagline "Tough Love," suggesting that underneath their rough, intimidating exteriors, these athletes have nothing but love and passion for the game. The print ads are set to run in September issues of ESPN The Magazine and Vibe Magazine.