Strengthens International Leadership in AsiaNEW YORK, Jun 12, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Coach (NYSE: COH) has announced today that Thibault Villet will join the company as President, Greater China, in August 2007, establishing an on-the-ground presence for Coach in the region. Mr. Villet will be based in Hong Kong and partner with Imaginex and Tasa Meng, Coach's regional distributors, in developing, implementing and executing the company's Greater China strategy, focused on rapidly growing distribution and raising brand awareness in this emerging market for luxury accessories. He will have responsibility for the strategic leadership and operating results of Coach Greater China, including the mainland of China, Hong Kong/Macau and Taiwan, reporting directly to Ian Bickley, President, Coach International.

Mr. Villet joins Coach from L'Oreal, where he most recently held the position of Vice President, Luxury Products Division in Japan. During his 13 years with L'Oreal, he held progressively more senior roles, including four years from 2002-2006 as Vice President and General Manager of the Luxury Products Division for China, based in Shanghai. During this period, he successfully re-branded the Lancome image in China by building market awareness and changing consumer perceptions. He established strong relationships with department stores and with the media. In addition, Mr. Villet launched both a customer relationship management (CRM) program and the Lancome magazine to strengthen customer loyalty. Under his leadership, Lancome rose to become the number one luxury cosmetics brand in China. Prior to managing L'Oreal's business in China, Mr. Villet held senior roles in Travel Retail for the company in Hong Kong and in Europe.

"We are extremely pleased that Thibault will be joining our management team. Coming from a strong consumer and marketing background, he has developed solid brand development skills and a disciplined marketing approach. From his significant experience in China, he has gained an understanding of the needs and behaviors of this important consumer. Thibault is a dynamic and entrepreneurial leader who has demonstrated the ability to build strong teams, retail businesses and partnerships to achieve outstanding results. His talents and experience qualify him to drive Coach's growth in the region as we continue to leverage the global vibrancy of our brand and relevance of our product offering," said Mr. Bickley.

Lew Frankfort, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Coach, Inc., added, "This is a newly created position that has been developed to support our Greater China initiative - focused on accelerating growth in this emerging region for luxury accessories. Clearly, mainland China will become a significant market for luxury brands during the next several years, as income and consumer spending levels catch up to the retail development that is already present in this market. Our goal is to become the leading accessible luxury brand in Greater China, and now is the time to build that foundation."

The company has been accelerating store openings in these markets over the last few years, and there are now 42 Coach locations in Greater China. These are comprised of 19 locations in Taiwan, 12 in Hong Kong and 11 on the mainland, including four in Shanghai, four in Beijing, and one each in Hangzhou, Shenzhen and Xian. A twelfth location will open in Chengdu later this month. The company expects to open at least 20 additional locations in Greater China during the next three years.

"Coach is a brand that is a true leader in accessible luxury," Mr. Villet stated. "The company has tremendous momentum, a clearly articulated vision and well-defined strategies in place for continued growth in Greater China. I am delighted to be leading this important initiative, and look forward to being a part of the Coach team and its future success."

Coach, with headquarters in New York, is a leading American marketer of fine accessories and gifts for women and men, including handbags, women's and men's small leathergoods, business cases, weekend and travel accessories, footwear, watches, outerwear, scarves, sunwear, jewelry, fragrance and related accessories. Coach is sold worldwide through Coach stores, select department stores and specialty stores, through the Coach catalog in the U.S. by calling 1-800-223-8647 and through Coach's website at www.coach.com. Coach's shares are traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol COH.

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on management's current expectations. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "are positioned to," "continue," "project," "guidance," "forecast," "anticipated," or comparable terms. Future results may differ materially from management's current expectations, based upon risks and uncertainties such as expected economic trends, the ability to anticipate consumer preferences, the ability to control costs, etc. Please refer to Coach's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K for a complete list of risk factors.

SOURCE: Coach

Coach Analysts & Media: Andrea Shaw Resnick, 212-629-2618 Vice President, Investor Relations