COUMBUS, Ohio, June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Designer
Brands Inc. (NYSE: DBI), one of North America's largest
designers, producers and retailers of footwear and accessories,
today announced two new executive appointments. These leaders will
help support DBI's strong market performance and its work to meet
customer needs effectively and efficiently through its
industry-leading omnichannel capabilities.
In addition to her ongoing role as Vice Chairman, Debbie Ferrée has been named President of Camuto
Group, a role she has held on an interim basis since August 2020. In addition, William "Bill"
Jordan has been named President of
Designer Brands. Jordan was named
Designer Brands' Chief Growth Officer in February 2020 and will continue to lead that work
in his new role. Both appointments are effective immediately.
"Designer Brands continues to stay ahead of retail consumer and
fashion trends, as evidenced by our ongoing improving financial
performance," said Designer Brands Chief Executive Officer
Roger Rawlins. "To maintain this
competitive advantage, we need the right leaders to guide us in
evaluating and identifying ways to enhance our organizational
structure, including the ongoing integration of Camuto Group to
unlock greater value for the enterprise. This ensures that we will
continue meeting customers' needs both in stores and online, as our
business recovers and we make the necessary investments to build a
stronger foundation for the future."
As President of Camuto Group, Ferrée will accelerate her
executive duties of advancing Camuto's integration into the DBI
organization and growing brands. Integration work includes
continued growth of brands exclusive to DSW such as JLO Jennifer
Lopez, Kelly & Katie, and Crown Vintage as well as our -other
owned brands such as Vince Camuto.
Our owned brands have gained strength in recent quarters and
represented 15 of the top 25 selling items at DSW in first quarter
of 2021.
As President of Designer Brands, Jordan will continue to oversee the
enterprise's shared services functions, including human resources
and information technology. As part of Camuto Group's continued
integration, the sourcing and supply chain business functions will
move under Jordan in Designer
Brands' shared services organization. This key operational
centralization will enhance our speed to market,
Added Rawlins, "We have tremendous confidence in Debbie and
Bill's proven leadership, as evidenced by their navigation of a
rapidly changing retail landscape, and by the trust earned from our
associates. Today's announcements signal commitment to our strategy
as we grow customer loyalty and deliver successive
improvement."
About Designer Brands
Designer Brands is one
of North America's largest designers, producers and
retailers of footwear and accessories. The Company operates a
portfolio of retail concepts in nearly 700 locations under the DSW
Designer Shoe Warehouse®, The Shoe Company® and Shoe Warehouse®
banners. The Company designs and produces footwear and
accessories through Camuto Group, a leading manufacturer selling in
more than 5,400 stores worldwide. Camuto Group owns licensing
rights for the Jessica Simpson® footwear business and footwear and
handbag licenses for Lucky Brand®. In partnership with a joint
venture with Authentic Brands Group, the Company also owns a stake
in Vince Camuto®, Louise et Cie®, and others. More information can
be found at www.designerbrands.com.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995
Certain statements in this press release
may constitute forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to
the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. You can identify these forward-looking
statements by the use of forward-looking words such as "outlook,"
"could," "believes," "expects," "potential," "continues," "may,"
"will," "should," "would," "seeks," "approximately," "predicts,"
"intends," "plans," "estimates," "anticipates," or the negative
version of those words or other comparable words. These statements
are based on Designer Brands' current expectations and involve
known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may
cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These
factors include, but are not limited to: risks and uncertainty
related to the continued outbreak of the coronavirus ("COVID-19"),
any future COVID-19 resurgence, and any other adverse public health
developments; risks related to losses or disruptions associated
with our distribution systems, including our distribution and
fulfillment centers and our stores, whether as a result of
COVID-19, reliance on third-party providers, cyber-related attacks,
or otherwise; risks related to our international operations,
including international trade, our reliance on foreign sources for
merchandise, exposure to political, economic, operational,
compliance and other risks, and fluctuations in foreign currency
exchange rates; maintaining strong relationships with our vendors,
manufacturers, licensors, and retailer customers; our ability to
anticipate and respond to fashion trends, consumer preferences and
changing customer expectations; our reliance on our loyalty
programs and marketing to drive traffic, sales and customer
loyalty; failure to retain our key executives or attract qualified
new personnel; our ability to protect our reputation and to
maintain the brands we license; uncertain general economic,
political and social conditions and the related impacts to consumer
discretionary spending; our competitiveness with respect to style,
price, brand availability and customer service; and our ability to
provide customers cost-effective shopping platforms. Risks and
other factors that could cause our actual results to differ
materially from our expectations are described in Designer Brands'
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2021, and risk factors identified in
Designer Brands' other filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the
time when made. Designer Brands undertakes no obligation to update
or revise the forward-looking statements included in this press
release to reflect any future events or circumstances.
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SOURCE Designer Brands Inc.