BERLIN, Aug. 30, 2017 /CNW/ -- Fossil Group (NASDAQ:
FOSL) announced today, ahead of IFA® 2017, a massive
expansion of its wearables business. In 2018, Fossil Group will add
new brands to its touchscreen smartwatch lineup powered by Google's
Android Wear™. This is in addition to the five current
brands – Diesel, Emporio Armani, Fossil, Michael Kors and Misfit –
that will offer customers new, full-round touchscreen smartwatches
in time for fall and holiday 2017.
In the last 12 months, Fossil Group doubled its points of
distribution for its connected devices and more than doubled its
sales of wearables. Google continues to be a key strategic partner
for the company, supporting the expansion of products powered by
Android Wear 2.0. The expansion announcement further cements Fossil
Group and Google as leaders in fashion-first smartwatches.
"Today our wearables segment is the fastest-growing part of our
business," said Greg McKelvey, chief
strategy and digital officer at Fossil Group. "Customer demand is
strong and getting stronger, and we're just on the front end of
this business evolution. Clearly, this distinct combination of the
best design and the best tech is winning with fashion-conscious
consumers, especially our female customers who were long neglected
by other wearables brands."
Earlier this year, Fossil Group introduced its 2017 touchscreen
smartwatch line-up, all of which are compatible with both
iOS® and Android™ phones. All feature
stunning full-round AMOLED displays that preserve the integrity of
sophisticated watch design with crystal-clear illumination and
crisp resolution. Game-changing improvements in hardware design
mean watch form factors are thinner, sleeker, and more comfortable
than ever before, and even more appealing to the female
customer.
"Our partnership with Fossil Group has been a driving force for
the growth of Android Wear's device portfolio, which has allowed us
to offer users choices and diversity," said David Singleton, vice president of Android
engineering at Google. "We are thrilled to continue the partnership
into 2018 and implement new ways to connect fashion and technology,
leveraging the flexibility of Android Wear and the design
capabilities of Fossil Group and its brands."
Powered by Android Wear 2.0, Fossil Group's 2018 touchscreen
smartwatches will continue to be compatible with both iOS and
Android phones and allow users to customize key information to
appear on their watch face, create shortcuts to play music, hail a
ride, or monitor activity goals. Additionally, third-party apps can
be downloaded through the on-watch Google Play™ Store.
Customers will continue to be able to personalize watch faces by
choosing from thousands of branded dial designs and custom color
combinations to best fit their personal style.
Brands with new Android Wear smartwatches launching in fall or
holiday 2017 include:
- Diesel – The first Diesel On Full Guard touchscreen
smartwatch will be available for presale August 29, with the entire collection globally
available September 25.
- Emporio Armani – The first Emporio Armani Connected
touchscreen smartwatch is the epitome of sophistication, combining
classic watch design with innovative technology. The
smartwatch – available September
14 – features 11 interchangeable straps and a Saved Faces
watch app, which allows you to take your watch from day to night
with leather, silicone and stainless steel straps.
- Fossil – Fossil launches its first full-round
touchscreen smartwatches, Fossil Q Venture and Fossil Q Explorist.
These sleeker smartwatches feature stunning OLED displays and
exclusive new watch apps. New styles are now available in select
Fossil stores and on Fossil.com.
- Michael Kors – The Michael Kors Access Sofie
touchscreen smartwatches were developed with women in mind and
feature a dazzling, sleek casebody and screen. The Michael Kors
Access Grayson touchscreen smartwatch is designed for the
sophisticated man on the go with a stainless steel casebody and
oversized screen. All new Michael Kors Access touchscreen
smartwatches will be available globally September 25.
- Misfit – Misfit Vapor, which includes heart rate
monitoring, standalone music functionality, and is swim proof to
5ATM, will be available in October.
New hybrid smartwatch styles from Armani Exchange, Chaps,
Emporio Armani, Diesel, DKNY, Fossil, kate spade new york,
Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, MICHELE,
Misfit, Relic, Skagen and Tory Burch
will also hit stores during the fall and holiday season.
By the end of 2017, Fossil Group will have launched more than
300 connected watch styles across 14 brands. The devices are now
also active in 50 countries and 21 languages.
Fossil Group offers more hybrid and touchscreen smartwatch
options than any company in the world. The company is featuring new
wearables on display at IFA 2017 in Berlin, Germany at booth 216.
About Fossil Group, Inc.
Fossil Group, Inc. is a
global design, marketing, distribution and innovation company
specializing in lifestyle accessories. Under a diverse portfolio of
owned and licensed brands, our offerings include fashion watches,
jewelry, handbags, small leather goods and wearables. With our
newest owned brand, Misfit, we're bringing style and technology to
the high-growth connected space. We're committed to delivering the
best in design and innovation across our owned brands, Fossil,
MICHELE, Misfit, Relic, Skagen and Zodiac, and licensed brands,
Adidas, Armani Exchange, Burberry, Chaps, Diesel, DKNY, Emporio
Armani, Karl Lagerfeld, kate spade
new york, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors
and Tory Burch. We bring each brand
story to life through an extensive wholesale distribution network
across 150 countries and over 600 retail locations. Certain press
release and SEC filing information concerning the Company is also
available at www.fossilgroup.com.
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SOURCE Fossil Group, Inc.