At Annual Meeting, PETA--a Coach Shareholder--Will Push Company to End Fur Sales

For Immediate Release:
November 4, 2009

Contact:
David Perle 757-622-7382

New York -- Holding signs emblazoned with a photo of a skinned but still conscious raccoon dog lying on top of a pile of carcasses, PETA members will confront Coach, Inc., shareholders outside the company's annual meeting on Thursday. The signs will include the taglines "Your Fur Had a Face," and the protesters will also carry signs bearing the message "Coach: Dump Fur." Inside the meeting, a representative of PETA--which owns stock in Coach--will present a statement in support of PETA's shareholder resolution calling on Coach to follow the lead of many other fashion retailers by ending all fur sales. Coach sells purses, wallets, luggage, and other fashion accessories and products in the U.S. and 20 other countries:

When:   Thursday, November 5, Protest: 8 a.m. (meeting begins at 9 a.m.)

Where:  Coach headquarters, 516 W. 34th St. (between 10th and 11th avenues), New York

"Coach must stop supporting the pain and suffering that comes with every item made with fur," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "With all the luxurious and practical options available, Coach has no excuse for supporting an industry that abuses animals and that has even been caught skinning them alive."

Fashion designers and retailers that have stopped selling fur--or that have never sold it--include Polo Ralph Lauren, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, Calvin Klein, Betsey Johnson, Gap Inc., and Nike. Liz Claiborne, which owns Juicy Couture and Coach competitor Kate Spade, is also fur-free.

An undercover investigation of fur farms in China--now the world's leading fur exporter--revealed that workers smashed the heads of foxes and raccoon dogs against the ground. The animals were still panting and blinking their eyes as they were skinned alive. Millions of dogs and cats are also killed for fur in China.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.