- Fossil, Inc.
Infobox Company | company_name = Fossil, Inc.
company_
company_type = Public (nasdaq|FOSL)
foundation = 1984 | location =Richardson, Texas | key_people = Tom Kartsotis,Chairman
Kosta N. Kartsotis,CEO | industry = Recreational Goods| products =Watch es,Jewelry ,Clothing ,Wallet s, revenue = profit$1.0 billion USD (2005) [cite press release | title = Fossil, Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2005 Results | publisher = Fossil, Inc. | date = 2006-02-21 | url = http://www.fossil.com/jump.jsp?itemID=2014&itemType=CATEGORY&link=2005q4]
homepage = [http://www.fossil.com/ www.fossil.com/]Fossil, Inc. (nasdaq|FOSL) is a designer and manufacturer of
clothing and accessories, primarilywatch es andjewelry , but alsosunglasses andwallet s, based inRichardson, Texas ,United States . Their brands include "Fossil", "Relic", Abacus, "Michele Watch" and Zodiac Watch.Company History
Zodiac was a Swiss brand that had been operating since 1882 when Fossil acquired it in 2001 to give them a higher end brand. In its earlier days, Fossil watches were known for their mid-1950s era designs and low entry price. They later branched into the sale of leather goods and other accessories in the 1990s. Fossil's desire to establish a Swiss presence led to the purchase of the Zodiac Watch brand and a complete retooling of that line to reflect a
retro modern 1970s style in a higher end watch. The 2004 purchase of Michele Watch completed the cycle by offering a high-end Swiss watch with a designer flair.License Business
Fossil has been very successful with its own brands and this success has led to companies coming to Fossil to create licensed watch lines. The licensed watch lines that Fossil designs, manufactures, and distributes include
Burberry ,DKNY ,Emporio Armani ,Columbia Sportswear , Diesel,Frank Gehry ,Philippe Starck ,Michael Kors ,Callaway Golf ,Davis Cup ,Marc Jacobs andAdidas . When referencing Fossil's watch lines, they are generally regarded as a "manufacturer"; However, Fossil only assembles watches, using pre-made movements and only designing the cases and dials of the watch. [ [http://www.fossil.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaticView?langId=-1&storeId=12052&catalogId=10052&page=companyProfile&nav=custCareNav FOSSIL - watches, handbags, accessories, and apparel - www.fossil.com ] ]pecial Products
In addition, the company produces
collectible s, some of which are based on popular films orpop culture characters. Previous designs have include: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Elvis Presley, "Pirates of the Caribbean", Flash, Green Lantern, Snoopy, Pokemon, Star Wars, "Chronicles of Narnia" and Disney's "Cars". [http://www.fossil.com/jump.jsp?itemID=2362&itemType=CATEGORY]The company released
Wrist PDA which is a tinyPalm OS -basedPDA worn like a watch. In 2006, Fossil released aCaller ID watch. [http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2021392,00.asp] Also in 2006, Fossil teamed up with theNFL to make the official watch collection for each team. [http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2006/10/02/daily29.html] Fossil also caters to special markets that seek to customize products. [http://www.fossilspecialmarkets.com/pdf/05_custom_brochure.pdf]Awards
Fossil won awards for "Most Effective Use of Online Creative" and "Best of Show" awards for the 6th Annual DFWIMA Excellence in Interactive Marketing (in 2006) [http://www.dfwima.org/eima/thisyear/]
About Management
Two brothers, Tom Kartsotis and Kosta Kartsotis, own approximately 30% of Fossil
stock . The company name represents thenickname the brothers had for theirgrandfather .Fossil Designed Watches
* [http://www.fossil.com/ Fossil, Inc. homepage]
* [http://www.zodiacwatches.com/ Zodiac Watches homepage]
* [http://www.abacuswatches.com Abacus Watches homepage]
* [http://www.michele.com/ Michele Watches and Jewelry homepage]
* [http://store.emporioarmaniwatches.com/ Emporio Armani Watches homepage]
* [http://store.dieseltimeframes.com/ Diesel Watches homepage]
* [http://www.fossil.com//jump.jsp?itemID=2947&itemType=CATEGORY Philippe Starck Watches]
* [http://www.burberry.com/Collections/Timepieces Burberry Timepieces homepage]
* [http://www.columbia.com/Subcategory.aspx?top=6&cat=62070&viewAll=false Columbia Watches]
* [http://www.michaelkors.com/store/catalog/catalogPage.jhtml?tid=P6&itemId=cat145&parentId=&masterId=&cmCat= Michael Kors Watches]
* [http://www.callawaygolfwatches.com Callaway Golf Time Pieces homepage]
* [http://www.marcjacobs.com Marc Jacobs homepage - Need to navigate through Flash to reach timepieces]
* [http://www.adidas.com/watch Adidas Watches homepage]
* [http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2021392,00.asp Caller ID watch]References
External links
* [http://www.fossil.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaticView?langId=-1&storeId=12052&catalogId=10052&page=companyProfile&nav=custCareNav Company Profile]
* [http://watches.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Fossil_Watches Additional Fossil information]
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