Brown Shoe Company (NYSE: BWS)(brownshoe.com),
owner of brands such as Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman, Via Spiga and
Naturalizer, will ring The Closing Bell® at the New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) this afternoon to celebrate the company’s 100th
anniversary of listing on the NYSE. Diane Sullivan, CEO, president and
chairman of Brown Shoe Company will do the honors, marking the century
milestone.
Diane Sullivan, CEO, President and Chairman of the Board, Brown Shoe Company (Photo: Business Wire)
Sullivan will be joined by members of the Brown Shoe Company executive
team and board of directors, as well as Grammy-award-winning artist and
style icon Fergie.
“100 years on the New York Stock Exchange is a humbling milestone,” said
Sullivan. “But now, more than ever before, Brown Shoe Company is right
where it should be. Our past proves we have what it takes to succeed
over the long term. Today, our company is full of a lot of good people
who work hard and do it with great character. I have no doubt - with
their focus on our amazing brands and shoes - we have what it takes to
be even more successful in the future. Together we are transforming
Brown Shoe Company from a company that many have never heard of, to one
they won’t forget.”
Brown Shoe Company is only the 24th company to reach the
century mark of listing on the NYSE. The company was founded by George
Warren Brown in 1878 in St. Louis. Today the company has more than
11,000 employees and has products available through more than 1,200
retail stores, 10 wholesale brands, 14 branded e-commerce sites, and
sells more than 48 million pairs of shoes through its wholesale
operations.
In 2013, the stock price for the calendar year increased more than 50%
and earnings per share improved almost 25%. Both the retail and
wholesale businesses showed improvement, with Famous Footwear same-store
sales up 2.9% and wholesale operations up 5.3% last year.
About Brown Shoe Company
Brown Shoe Company is a $2.5 billion, global, footwear company whose
shoes are worn by people of all ages, from all walks of life. Our
products are available virtually everywhere — in the over 1,200 Famous
Footwear and Naturalizer retail stores we operate, in hundreds of major
department and specialty stores, on 14 branded ecommerce sites, and on
many additional third-party retail websites. Through our broad range of
products, we serve three key market segments. Our Family brands — Famous
Footwear, Famous.com, and shoes.com — are one-stop-shopping destinations
for high quality, affordable styles for a family’s every occasion.
Active people who want comfort, style and performance can look to our
Healthy Living brands — Naturalizer, Dr. Scholl's, LifeStride and Ryka.
Our Contemporary Fashion brands — Via Spiga, Vince, Sam Edelman, Franco
Sarto, Carlos Santana and Fergie Footwear — keep fashionistas in step
with the latest trends. At Brown Shoe Company, we inspire people to feel
good and live better... feet first!
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