Company Focuses on Merchandising, Centralizes Support Functions
ST. LOUIS, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Edison Brothers Stores Inc.
(Nasdaq: EDBR) today announced a sweeping organizational realignment designed
to help its retail chains focus on merchandising. To further this effort, the
company has created a new trend merchandising function and centralized store
operations, marketing, and planning and allocation, three areas key to
leveraging Edison's resources and driving sales.
"Chain presidents and their merchants can now better focus on the most
important aspect of our future success, which is having the right goods in our
stores," said Lawrence E. Honig, Edison's Chairman and CEO since January. "In
addition, by assigning senior-level executives to oversee support areas
corporate-wide, we're concentrating our functional skills, such as making our
stores look and feel better to our customers."
Central to the realignment is the creation of the Edison Merchandising
Committee. Karl W. Michner has been named Chairman, Edison Merchandising
Committee where he will institutionalize the trend merchandising process in
Edison's chains, helping the merchants determine where styles fall in the
fashion trend cycle and how that timing should influence other key steps in
the buying process. In his 28-year career at Edison, Michner has served in
several senior-level roles, most recently as President of Edison's 300-store
J. Riggings division. In his new position, Michner also will oversee Edison
Brothers Stores International, the company's worldwide merchandise sourcing
division.
In Edison's new organization, three support functions also have been
centralized. The store operations, marketing, and planning and allocation
departments each will be headed by a senior executive who will oversee the
function corporate-wide and report to Honig. In the past, each chain ran its
own department, reporting to the respective chain president.
To lead Edison's new stores division, Timothy W. Brannon has been promoted
to Senior Vice President, Stores where he will head the company's effort to
upgrade store functions. Brannon joined Edison in February 1997 as Director of
Stores for Edison's 180-store REPP Ltd. Big & Tall chain. Prior to joining
Edison, Brannon worked for Petrie Retail and Brendamour's after building the
majority of his career at Herman's World of Sporting Goods.
Kimberly Richmond has joined Edison as Senior Vice President, Marketing
where she will be responsible for developing and implementing marketing
programs specific to Edison's chains. Richmond most recently served as
Director of Brand Development for Alliant Foodservice. She also spent 15
years at Sears, Roebuck and Co. Richmond has extensive experience in brand
marketing, advertising, sales promotions, packaging and marketing research.
In planning and allocation, Denise R. Parker has been promoted to Vice
President, Planning and Allocation where she will oversee and streamline the
merchandise planning and allocation function companywide. Parker joined
Edison as Director of Planning and Allocation for J. Riggings in July 1996.
Previously, Parker worked at Warner Brothers Studio Stores and Millers Outpost
in areas including distribution, planning and strategic market analysis.
"By naming these talented individuals to lead key areas in Edison's new
organization, I believe the company is elevating its competitive advantage,"
Honig said. "Under this new leadership, we expect to make merchandising top
of mind while rethinking processes and improving consistency from chain-to-
chain."
Replacing Michner as President of J. Riggings is John Oehler, who joined
Edison as General Merchandise Manager for REPP Ltd. in 1996. In his new
position, John will use his 17 years of retail experience to continue to
reposition J. Riggings' merchandise assortment. Before joining Edison, John
was a Merchandise Manager at Structure, a division of The Limited Inc. He
also held positions of increasing responsibility in merchandising and
management at Carson Pirie Scott, May Merchandising and Gimbels.
Edison Brothers Stores Inc. operates 5-7-9 Shops junior apparel stores;
Bakers/Leeds and Wild Pair footwear stores; JW/Jeans West, Coda, Oaktree,
J. Riggings and REPP Ltd. Big & Tall menswear stores; and REPP By Mail men's
catalog. With nearly $1 billion in annual sales and more than 1,600 stores in
the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, Edison is one
of the largest specialty retailers of apparel, footwear and accessories in
North America.
Additional information about Edison can be found on the company's Web
site at http://www.edisonbrothers.com.
SOURCE Edison Brothers Stores Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.edisonbrothers.com
CONTACT:
Amy Calvin, Communications Director of Edison
Brothers Stores, 314-331-6588
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