The DCS Group, LLC and Lotto Sport Italia, SpA Announce the Formation of Lotto North America, LLC; Lotto North America to Launch a Premium Sports Lifestyle Clothing and Footwear Segment in the US and around the World.

TREVIGNANO, Italy & BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Premium brand focused advisory and investment firm, The DCS Group, LLC, announces a partnership with Italian sportswear company Lotto Sport Italia to create Lotto North America, LLC. Lotto NA will build upon the global Lotto Brand equity as a leader in soccer and tennis performance footwear, apparel, and accessories by developing a premium oriented lifestyle product business targeted to consumers in the United States and around the world.

David Schulte, Managing Partner of The DCS Group, will serve as CEO of Lotto North America, and stated that "The Lotto Brand is a perfect fit for the aesthetic of our Firm. Lotto's performance Soccer and Tennis capabilities mixed with its Italian heritage are a perfect combination and allow DCS to passionately stand behind this sophisticated Brand." Mr. Schulte added, "The energy, concepts and relationships of our Firm, combined with the strong connection we have made with our partners in Italy, will help drive the desired positioning of the Brand forward, both here and around the world. In a noisy and "sameness" sports brand marketplace such as we are in, we believe that consumers crave the package of flair, design and luxury that Italy and a great sports performance brand such as Lotto can provide. There is a reason that other athletic brands are chasing a proximity with Italian imagery and lifestyle with their various sponsorships whereas we have the real thing."

Lotto Sport Italia CEO Andrea Tomat said: "We have long considered entering the market with a premium focused sports lifestyle segment to mix with our core performance business, particularly in the US due to its importance in creating trends and pop culture around the world. David Schulte came to us with a clear vision for how to accomplish this goal. David and his group not only share in the equity capitalization of Lotto NA, but more importantly, they bring the knowledge and feel for the premium lifestyle and fashion market that Italy is renowned for. We look forward to relying on David and his group to help build this side of our business."

Lotto North America will be managed from offices already set up in Beverly Hills and Soho, New York. In addition to Mr. Schulte serving as CEO, Lotto NA has also confirmed as creative director Mr. Come Chantrel, a world renowned "sneaker" marketer, who is fresh off producing the highly acclaimed documentary "Just for Kicks". Mr. Chantrel is an expert in lifestyle marketing and has held positions at both The Firm and Loud Records / Marketing in the past years. In addition to Mr. Chantrel, Lotto NA has successfully recruited Mr. Vincent Ordioni as head merchandiser, who formerly worked with Tommy Hilfiger Europe, and Mr. Sunday Mensah from Fred Segal LA to help run sales.

ABOUT THE DCS GROUP, LLC:

The DCS Group, LLC is an investment and advisory firm dedicated to creating value within the intersection of luxury, culture, and finance. By leveraging existing or novel branding concepts via equity investments and re-focusing of core strategies, DCS has established a niche within the space. DCS is run by David Schulte, who prior to creating DCS, was a Partner and President of Brands at talent and music management powerhouse The Firm. While at The Firm, Mr. Schulte is credited with spearheading the identification, acquisition, and management of that company's PONY sneaker business, a brand which they took through a rapid value creation in less than three years from almost complete idleness before selling a majority stake to GBMI. Most recently, DCS was involved in the acquisition of C.C. Filson, a century-old Fly Fishing and Hunting lifestyle brand in the Pacific Northwest, which brought in Doug Williams, former Group President of Polo Ralph Lauren, to be CEO prior to close.

ABOUT LOTTO SPORT ITALIA, SPA

Since 1973, Lotto is part of the world of sports and produces footwear, apparel and accessories for football, five-a-side football and tennis. The portfolio of products includes today also men's and women's leisure lines with a sport-inspired image and taste. Lotto today distributes its products in 80 different countries and is present in the world of football with major sponsorships with more than 600 players and 40 teams from around the world, including recent "Golden Ball" winner Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan and world's top goalkeeper Petr Cech from Chelsea FC. In tennis, Lotto is official partner of ATP, WTA Tour and Wimbledon.