CALERES, INC Business
The company's own words from the Business item of each annual report, in the filing's order. Some sections could not be read exactly.
- 2012: Section Item 1. Business; Text Brown Shoe Company, Inc., founded in 1878 and incorporated in 1913, is a global footwear retailer and wholesaler. Current activities include the operation of retail shoe stores and e-commerce websites as well as the design, sourcing and marketing of footwear for women and men. Our mission is to inspire people to feel good and live better... feet first! We are a global footwear company with annual net sales of $2.6 billion that puts consumers and their needs first, by targeting family, healthy living and contemporary fashion platforms. Our business is seasonal in nature due to consumer spending patterns, with higher back-to-school and Christmas and Easter holiday season sales. Traditionally, the third fiscal quarter accounts for a substantial portion of our earnings for the year.; Document 10-K.
- 2012: Section Famous Footwear; Text Our family platform includes Famous Footwear, which is one of American’s leading family branded footwear retailers based on 1,089 stores at the end of 2011, net sales of $1.5 billion in 2011 and published information on our direct competitors. Our target consumers are women who buy brand-name fashionable shoes at a value for themselves and their families. In addition to our retail footwear stores, we operate FamousFootwear.com.; Document 10-K.
- 2012: Section Specialty Retail; Text Our Specialty Retail segment, composed of 234 stores as of January 28, 2012, includes the following retail concepts and our Shoes.com and other e-commerce businesses, with the exception of FamousFootwear.com, which is included in the Famous Footwear segment.; Document 10-K.
- 2012: Section Marketing; Text We continue to build on the heritage and recognition of our wholesale brands to create differentiation and consumer loyalty. Marketing teams are responsible for the development and implementation of marketing programs for each brand, both for us and for our retail partners. In 2011, we spent approximately $26.4 million in advertising and marketing support, including cooperative advertising, in-store promotions and events, in-store displays and fixtures, consumer print advertising, direct mail, public relations and internet advertising with our wholesale customers. The marketing teams are also responsible for driving the development of branding and content for our brand websites. We continually focus on enhancing the effectiveness of these marketing efforts through market research, product development and marketing communications that collectively address the ever-changing lives and needs of our consumers. In 2011, the marketing teams were instrumental in the development and execution of new product launches, including target consumer identification, branding, positioning and marketing to both the consumer and trade audiences. We intend to continue the growth of our social media presence as we believe increasing our focus on social media will help drive us into the next generation of marketing, allowing us to connect even more intimately with consumers.; Document 10-K.
Business, as filed
The company's own words from the Business item of each annual report, verbatim and in the filing's order, split at the filing's own headings. Nothing is summarised or reworded. Tables and images are not shown; the document has them.
| Fiscal year | Section | Text | Document |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Item 1. Business | Brown Shoe Company, Inc., founded in 1878 and incorporated in 1913, is a global footwear retailer and wholesaler. Current activities include the operation of retail shoe stores and e-commerce websites as well as the design, sourcing and marketing of footwear for women and men. Our mission is to inspire people to feel good and live better... feet first! We are a global footwear company with annual net sales of $2.6 billion that puts consumers and their needs first, by targeting family, healthy living and contemporary fashion platforms. Our business is seasonal in nature due to consumer spending patterns, with higher back-to-school and Christmas and Easter holiday season sales. Traditionally, the third fiscal quarter accounts for a substantial portion of our earnings for the year. During 2011, categories of our consolidated net sales were approximately 63% women’s footwear, 24% men’s footwear, 9% children’s footwear and 4% accessories. This composition has remained relatively constant over the past few years. Approximately 66% of 2011 footwear sales represented retail sales, including sales through our e-commerce websites, compared to 70% in 2010 and 72% in 2009, and the remaining 34%, 30% and 28% in the respective years represented wholesale sales. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding our business segments and financial information by geographic area. We had approximately 15,300 full-time and part-time employees as of January 28, 2012. In the United States, there are no employees subject to union contracts. In Canada, we employ approximately 20 warehousing employees under a union contract, which expires in October 2013. RETAIL OPERATIONS Our retail operations at January 28, 2012, included 1,323 retail shoe stores in the United States, Canada, China and Guam. The number of our retail footwear stores at the end of each of the last three fiscal years was as follows: 2011 2010 2009 Famous Footwear 1,089 1,110 1,129 Specialty Retail 234 259 282 Total 1,323 1,369 1,411 With many companies operating retail shoe stores and shoe departments, we compete in a highly fragmented market. Competitors include local, regional and national shoe store chains, department stores, discount stores, mass merchandisers, numerous independent retail operators of various sizes and internet retailers. Quality of products and services, store location, trend-right merchandise selection and availability of brands, pricing, advertising and consumer service are all factors that impact retail competition. | 10-K |
| 2012 | Famous Footwear | Our family platform includes Famous Footwear, which is one of American’s leading family branded footwear retailers based on 1,089 stores at the end of 2011, net sales of $1.5 billion in 2011 and published information on our direct competitors. Our target consumers are women who buy brand-name fashionable shoes at a value for themselves and their families. In addition to our retail footwear stores, we operate FamousFootwear.com. Famous Footwear stores feature a wide selection of brand-name, athletic, casual and dress shoes for the entire family. Brands carried include, among others, Nike, Skechers, New Balance, Converse, Puma, adidas, DC, Asics, LifeStride, Dr. Scholl’s Shoes, Reebok, Vans, K-Swiss, Naturalizer, BOC by Born and Bearpaw. We work closely with our vendors to provide our consumers with fresh product and, in some cases, product exclusively designed for and available only in our stores. Famous Footwear’s average retail price is approximately $38 for footwear with retail price points typically ranging from $22 for shoes up to $120 for boots. Famous Footwear sells various Brown Shoe Company owned and licensed products. Such products are sold to Famous Footwear by our Wholesale Operations segment at a profit and represent approximately 16% of Famous Footwear net sales. Famous Footwear stores are located in strip shopping centers as well as outlet and regional malls in all 50 states and Guam. The breakdown by venue is as follows at the end of each of the last three fiscal years: 2011 2010 2009 Strip centers 744 762 778 Outlet malls 169 174 181 Regional malls 176 174 170 Total 1,089 1,110 1,129 Stores open at the end of 2011 and 2010 averaged approximately 6,900 square feet. Total square footage at the end of 2011 decreased 2.5% to 7.5 million square feet compared to 7.7 million at the end of 2010. We expect to open approximately 55 new stores and close approximately 90 stores in 2012. New stores typically experience an initial start-up period characterized by lower sales and operating earnings than what is generally achieved by more mature stores or the division as a whole. While the duration of this start-up period may vary by type of store, economic environment and geographic location, new stores typically reach a normal level of profitability within approximately four years. Sales per square foot were $186 in 2011, which was down from $187 in 2010. Same-store sales declined 1.2% during 2011. Same-store sales changes are calculated by comparing the sales in stores that have been open at least 13 months. Famous Footwear relies on merchandise allocation systems and processes that use allocation criteria, consumer segmentation and inventory data in an effort to ensure stores are adequately stocked with products and to differentiate the needs of each store based on location, consumer segmentation and other factors. Famous Footwear’s distribution systems allow for merchandise to be delivered to each store weekly or on a more frequent basis, as needed. Famous Footwear also utilizes regional third-party pooled distribution sites across the country. Famous Footwear’s in-store point-of-sale systems provide detailed sales transaction data to our corporate office for daily update and analysis in the perpetual inventory and merchandise allocation systems. These systems also are used for training employees and communication between the stores and corporate office. Famous Footwear’s marketing programs include national television, print, radio, in-store advertisements, viral and digital marketing and social networking, all of which are designed to further develop and reinforce the Famous Footwear concept and strengthen our connection with consumers. We believe the success of our campaigns is attributable to highlighting key categories and tailoring the timing of such messaging to adapt to seasonal shopping patterns. In 2011, we spent approximately $57.3 million to advertise and market Famous Footwear to our target consumer, a portion of which was recovered from suppliers. Famous Footwear has a robust loyalty program (“Rewards”), which informs and rewards frequent consumers with product previews, earned incentives based upon purchase continuity and other periodic promotional offers. In 2011, approximately 62% of our Famous Footwear net sales were generated by our Rewards members. We continued our focus on social media throughout 2011, which helped us to build a stronger connection with our consumers, allowing us to both listen to and communicate with our core market. We will continue to seek new and expand existing channels for consumers to connect with Famous Footwear (beyond email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and proprietary mobile applications) to drive our fans from the digital world into profitable and loyal consumers in our multi-channel selling environments. | 10-K |
| 2012 | Specialty Retail | Our Specialty Retail segment, composed of 234 stores as of January 28, 2012, includes the following retail concepts and our Shoes.com and other e-commerce businesses, with the exception of FamousFootwear.com, which is included in the Famous Footwear segment. Naturalizer Naturalizer retail stores are a showcase for our Naturalizer brand of women’s shoes. These stores are designed and merchandised to appeal to the Naturalizer consumer, who is style and comfort conscious and who seeks quality and value in her footwear selections. The Naturalizer stores offer a selection of women’s footwear styles, including casual, dress, boots and sandals, primarily under the Naturalizer brand. Retail price points typically range from $69 for shoes to $189 for boots. The majority of products sold in our retail stores is purchased from our Wholesale Operations segment at a customary gross margin. At the end of 2011, we operated 100 Naturalizer stores in the United States and 97 Naturalizer stores in Canada. Of the total 197 stores, approximately 58% are located in regional malls, with a few stores having street locations, and average approximately 1,200 square feet in size. The other 42% of stores are located in outlet malls and average approximately 2,400 square feet in size. Total square footage at the end of 2011 was 335,000 compared to 354,000 in 2010. In 2011, we closed 30 stores and opened 12 stores in the United States and Canada, primarily in regional malls. We expect to open 13 stores and close 14 stores in 2012. At the end of 2011, through our majority-owned subsidiary, B&H Footwear Company Limited (“B&H Footwear”), we also operated 23 stores in several of China’s largest cities. We expect to open 13 stores in China in 2012. In addition, our joint venture partner, Hongguo International Holdings Limited (“Hongguo”), operated 70 stores at the end of 2011 and expects to add approximately 20 stores in 2012. Naturalizer footwear is distributed through these stores operated by B&H Footwear and Hongguo. See Note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information about B&H Footwear. Marketing programs for our Naturalizer stores have complemented our Naturalizer brand advertising by building on the brand’s consumer recognition and value proposition, and reinforcing the brand’s focus on effortless style, comfort and quality. Naturalizer utilizes a database-marketing program, which targets frequent consumers through catalogs and other mailings that display the brand’s product offerings. Consumers can purchase the products in these catalogs from our stores, online at Naturalizer.com and Naturalizer.ca or by phone. E-Commerce/Direct-To-Consumer We own and operate Shoes.com, Inc., a pure-play internet retailing company. Shoes.com offers a diverse selection of footwear and accessories for women, men and children, including footwear purchased from third-party suppliers and Brown Shoe Company. In connection with our multi-channel approach to reach consumers, we also operate FamousFootwear.com (included in our Famous Footwear segment), Naturalizer.com, Naturalizer.ca, ViaSpiga.com and DrSchollsShoes.com, which offer substantially the same product selection to consumers as sold in their respective retail stores, except FamousFootwear.com which offers an expanded assortment as a result of the vendor drop ship program. Additional websites such as ShoeSteal.com, LifeStride.com and FrancoSarto.com function as retail outlets for the online consumer and serve as additional brand-building vehicles for us. References to our website addresses do not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on the websites and the information contained on the websites is not part of this report. Other Store Concepts At the end of 2011, our Specialty Retail segment also included a total of 14 retail stores operated under the F.X. LaSalle, Brown Shoe Closet, Via Spiga and Dr. Scholl’s Shoes names. During 2012, we plan on closing all of our F.X. LaSalle and Brown Shoe Closet stores and opening another Dr. Scholl’s Shoes and two Sam Edelman stores. WHOLESALE OPERATIONS Our Wholesale Operations segment designs, sources and markets branded footwear for women and men at a variety of price points. Certain of our branded footwear products are developed pursuant to licensing agreements. We also receive royalty revenues for licensing owned brands to third-parties. Our footwear is distributed to over 2,000 retailers, including national chains, department stores, mass merchandisers, independent retailers, catalogs and online retailers throughout the United States and Canada as well as approximately 60 other countries (including intersegment sales). The most significant wholesale customers include many of the nation’s largest retailers: national chains such as DSW, TJX Corporation (including TJ Maxx and Marshalls), Kohl’s and Ross Stores; department stores such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Bon-Ton and Belk; and mass merchandisers such as Wal-Mart and Target; and online retailers, such as Zappos.com, Amazon.com, Piperlime.com and FamousFootwear.com. We also sell product to a variety of international retail customers and distributors. The loss of any one or more of our significant customers could have a material adverse effect on our Wholesale Operations and the Company. The vast majority of our wholesale customers also sell shoes purchased from competing footwear suppliers. Those competing footwear suppliers own and license brands, many of which are well-known and marketed aggressively. Many retailers, who are our wholesale customers, are increasing the amount of private brand-name footwear that they source directly from factories or through agents. The wholesale footwear business has low barriers to entry, which further intensifies competition. In addition, some competitors have successfully branded their trademarks as lifestyle brands, resulting in a greater competitive advantage to those companies. In 2011, our Wholesale Operations segment sold approximately 64 million pairs of shoes. We sell footwear to wholesale customers on both a landed and first-cost basis. Landed sales are those in which we obtain title to the footwear from our overseas suppliers and maintain title until the footwear clears United States customs and is shipped to our wholesale customers. Landed sales generally carry a higher margin rate than first-cost sales as a result of the brand equity associated with the product along with the additional customs, warehousing and logistics services provided to customers and the risks associated with inventory ownership. First-cost sales are those in which we obtain title to footwear from our overseas suppliers and typically relinquish title to customers at a designated overseas port. Many of these customers then import this product into the United States. To allow for the prompt shipment on reorders, we carry inventories of certain high-volume styles, particularly in the Naturalizer, Dr. Scholl’s Shoes, Avia, Franco Sarto, Sam Edelman, LifeStride, Via Spiga, RYKÄ and Vera Wang lines. | 10-K |
| 2012 | Marketing | We continue to build on the heritage and recognition of our wholesale brands to create differentiation and consumer loyalty. Marketing teams are responsible for the development and implementation of marketing programs for each brand, both for us and for our retail partners. In 2011, we spent approximately $26.4 million in advertising and marketing support, including cooperative advertising, in-store promotions and events, in-store displays and fixtures, consumer print advertising, direct mail, public relations and internet advertising with our wholesale customers. The marketing teams are also responsible for driving the development of branding and content for our brand websites. We continually focus on enhancing the effectiveness of these marketing efforts through market research, product development and marketing communications that collectively address the ever-changing lives and needs of our consumers. In 2011, the marketing teams were instrumental in the development and execution of new product launches, including target consumer identification, branding, positioning and marketing to both the consumer and trade audiences. We intend to continue the growth of our social media presence as we believe increasing our focus on social media will help drive us into the next generation of marketing, allowing us to connect even more intimately with consumers. | 10-K |
| 2012 | Portfolio of Brands | Wholesale Operations offers retailers a portfolio of leading brands from our healthy living and contemporary fashion platforms. The following is a listing of our principal brands and licensed products: Healthy Living Naturalizer: Introduced in 1927, Naturalizer has become a global family of comfort lifestyle footwear brands meeting the needs of women across the marketplace with uncompromising comfort, fit and style. Our flagship Naturalizer brand is sold primarily at department stores, independent retailers, national chains, online retailers and our Naturalizer retail stores. The brand is distributed in 60 countries around the world. Suggested retail price points range from $69 for shoes to $189 for boots. Natural Soul by Naturalizer provides women with uncompromising value and is sold primarily in national chains, our Naturalizer outlet stores and Famous Footwear retail stores. Suggested retail price points range from $59 for shoes to $99 for boots. Dr. Scholl’s Shoes: Dr. Scholl’s is an iconic global comfort brand, delivering proprietary comfort technology across all distribution tiers. Dr. Scholl’s Shoes crafts unique styles that offer men and women the freedom to live active lives of discovery and play with ease; inspires them with designs that express their youthful spirit; and champions an optimistic lifestyle of relaxed confidence and spontaneity. This footwear is primarily distributed through mass merchandisers, national chains, specialty and independent retailers, online retailers, catalogs and our Famous Footwear retail stores. Dr. Scholl’s Shoes held the No. 9 market share position in the comfort zone within the women’s fashion footwear category across point-of-sale channels at the end of 2011, according to The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service. We have a long-term license agreement with Schering-Plough Healthcare Products, Inc. to sell Dr. Scholl’s Shoes, which is renewable through 2026 for the United States and Canada and 2014 for Latin America. Avia: In 2011, we acquired Avia in conjunction with the American Sporting Goods Corporation (“ASG”) acquisition. Avia is an enthusiast sports and fitness brand offering shoes for serious and recreational athletes. The brand is primarily distributed through national chains, mass merchandisers and our Famous Footwear retail stores at retail price points from $40 to $130. LifeStride: LifeStride footwear offers feminine, fashionable styling at a value. The brand is sold in department stores, national chains and our Famous Footwear retail stores. Suggested retail price points range from $39 for sandals to $89 for boots. LifeStride ranked No. 3 in market share position in the moderate zone within the women’s fashion footwear category across point-of-sale channels at the end of 2011, according to The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service. RYKÄ: In 2011, we acquired RYKÄ in conjunction with our acquisition of ASG. RYKÄ is a women’s performance lifestyle brand focused on fitness. RYKÄ is managed, designed and solely dedicated to creating women’s performance footwear. The brand is distributed through department stores, specialty retailers and our Famous Footwear retail stores at retail price points from $60 to $80. Nevados: In 2011, we acquired Nevados in conjunction with our acquisition of ASG. Nevados is focused on satisfying the needs of men and women outdoor enthusiasts. The brand is primarily distributed through national chains and mass merchandisers at retail price points from $20 to $50. Contemporary Fashion Sam Edelman: Sam’s innovative and fresh creations exude the energy of luxury shoes without the high-end price tag. The brand is sold primarily through department stores and independent retailers at suggested retail price points ranging from $65 for sandals, flats and heels to $300 for boots. Sam Edelman held the No. 5 market share position in the bridge/designer zone within the women’s fashion footwear category across point-of-sale channels at the end of 2011, according to The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service. Franco Sarto: The Franco Sarto brand has a loyal, career-focused consumer who is passionate about the brand’s modern Italian-inspired style, fit and quality. The brand is sold in major national chains, department stores and independent retailers at suggested retail price points from $79 for shoes to $250 for boots. Franco Sarto ranked No. 5 in market share position in the better zone within the women’s fashion footwear category across point-of-sale channels at the end of 2011, according to The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service. We have a license agreement with Fashion Shoe Licensing LLC to sell Franco Sarto footwear that expires in December 2012, with an extension option through December 2019. Via Spiga: Via Spiga provides chic, sophisticated footwear for the cosmopolitan woman who wants to make a fashion statement every day. The brand is sold in the bridge/designer zone in premier department stores and upscale boutiques. This brand sells at suggested retail price points from $185 for shoes to $425 for boots. The brand held the No. 6 market share position in the bridge/designer zone within the women’s fashion footwear category across point-of-sale channels at the end of 2011, according to The NPD Group/Retail Tracking Service. Vera Wang: The Vera Wang shoe collection interprets Vera’s fun, youthful, whimsical spirit and offers the consumer unique product for her contemporary, fashion-savvy lifestyle. The brand is sold in the designer section in premier department stores at retail prices ranging from $250 for shoes to $550 for boots. We have a license agreement with Vera Wang Licensing LLC to sell Vera Wang footwear that expires in 2013, with an extension option through 2016. Vince: The Vince shoe collection will launch in the fall of 2012 and will be sold in premier department stores and upscale boutiques. Vince will deliver contemporary casual footwear that a sophisticated, modern woman wears effortlessly, serving as a functional luxury basic for all her lifestyle needs. We have a license agreement with Kellwood Company to sell Vince footwear that expires in 2015, with an extension option through 2020. Other We also sell footwear under the Etienne Aigner, Fergie/Fergalicious and Carlos by Carlos Santana brand names. Etienne Aigner appeals to a target customer who seeks classic footwear styling and is sold at national chains, department stores and our Famous Footwear stores. We have a license agreement with Etienne Aigner, Inc. to sell Etienne Aigner footwear that expires 2017, with an extension option through 2022. Fergie/Fergalicious was created in collaboration with entertainment superstar Fergie (Stacy Ferguson) to capture the multifaceted aspects of Fergie’s life as an award-winning singer, songwriter and actress and is sold at better department stores, boutiques, independent retailers and online. We have a license agreement with Krystal Ball Productions to sell Fergie/Fergalicious footwear that expires in 2012 with an extension option through 2014. Carlos by Carlos Santana footwear is inspired by the passion and energy of Santana’s music and is sold at major department stores, national chains and our Famous Footwear stores. We have a license from Santana Tesoro, LLC to sell Carlos by Carlos Santana footwear. Brown Shoe Company also receives royalty revenues for licensing owned brands, including brands listed above, to third-parties. Products sold under license agreements accounted for Wholesale Operations’ net sales of approximately 37% in 2011, 44% in 2010 and 48% in 2009. | 10-K |
| 2012 | Portfolio Realignment | We are currently undergoing a portfolio realignment designed to position us to be somewhat smaller but stronger and more profitable in the future. We made progress in the first phase of our portfolio realignment efforts during 2011 and will continue these efforts in 2012. The first phase of our portfolio realignment includes selling our AND 1 division (The Basketball Marketing Company, acquired with ASG); closing two U.S. distribution centers and a factory in China; exiting certain women’s specialty and private label brands; exiting the children’s wholesale business; closing or relocating underperforming or poorly aligned retail stores; and other infrastructure changes. | 10-K |
| 2012 | Brown Shoe Company Sourcing and Product Development Operations | Brown Shoe Company sourcing and product development operations source and develop footwear for our Wholesale Operations and Specialty Retail segments and also a portion of the footwear sold by our Famous Footwear segment. We have sourcing and product development offices in China, Hong Kong, Italy, Macau, St. Louis, Los Angeles and New York. Sourcing Operations In 2011, the sourcing operations sourced approximately 58 million pairs of shoes through a global network of third-party independent footwear manufacturers. Also during 2011, we owned and operated factories in central China that produced approximately six million pairs of athletic footwear for our Avia and RYKÄ brands. This structure enables us to source footwear at various price levels from key shoe manufacturing regions of the world. The majority of our footwear sourced is provided by approximately 15 manufacturers operating approximately 75 manufacturing facilities. In certain countries, we utilize agents to facilitate and manage the development, production and shipment of product. We attribute our ability to achieve consistent quality, competitive prices and on-time delivery to the breadth of these established relationships. While we do not have any significant contractual commitments with our suppliers, we do enter into sourcing agreements with certain independent sourcing agents. Prior to production, we monitor the quality of all of our footwear components and also inspect the prototypes of each footwear style. We have leading lab testing facilities in our Dongguan, Putian and JiangXi, China offices, which provide high quality footwear for our customers. We also perform random in-line quality control checks during production and before any footwear leaves the manufacturing facility. In 2011, approximately 98% of the footwear we sourced was from manufacturing facilities in China. The following table provides an overview of our foreign sourcing in 2011: Country Millions of Pairs China 56.6 All other 1.2 Total 57.8 Product Development Operations In our Dongguan, Putian and JiangXi, China offices, we operate a total of five sample-making facilities with unique and diverse capabilities. By operating these facilities, we have greater control over our product development, in terms of accuracy, execution and time to market. We maintain design teams for our brands in St. Louis, Los Angeles, New York and China as well as other select fashion locations, including Italy. These teams, which include independent designers, are responsible for the creation and development of new product styles. Our designers monitor trends in apparel and footwear fashion and work closely with retailers to identify consumer footwear preferences. Our design teams create collections of footwear and work closely with our product development and sourcing offices to convert our designs into new footwear styles. Our long range plans include expanding into new markets outside China, developing more progressive processes to improve factory capacity and material planning and continuing to understand ways to drive excellence in product value and execution in a rapidly changing manufacturing landscape. | 10-K |
| 2012 | Backlog | At January 28, 2012, our Wholesale Operations segment had a backlog of unfilled orders of approximately $297 million compared to $244 million on January 29, 2011. Most orders are for delivery within the next 90 to 120 days, and although orders are subject to cancellation, we have not experienced significant cancellations in the past. The backlog at any particular time is affected by a number of factors, including seasonality, the continuing trend among customers to reduce the lead time on their orders and capacity shifts in China. Accordingly, a comparison of backlog from period to period is not necessarily meaningful and may not be indicative of eventual actual shipments or the growth rate of sales from one period to the next. AVAILABLE INFORMATION Our internet address is www.brownshoe.com. Our internet address is included in this annual report on Form 10-K as an inactive textual reference only. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference into this annual report on Form 10-K and should not be considered part of this report. We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We make available free of charge our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished, as required by Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, through our internet website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with or furnish it to the SEC. You may access these SEC filings via the hyperlink to a third-party SEC filings website that we provide on our website. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT The following is a list of the names and ages of the executive officers of the Company and of the offices held by each person. There is no family relationship between any of the named persons. The terms of the following executive officers will expire in May 2012 or upon their respective successors being chosen and qualified. Name Age Current Position Diane M. Sullivan 56 President and Chief Executive Officer Richard M. Ausick 58 Division President – Retail Daniel R. Friedman 51 Division President – Wholesale, Product and Sourcing John W. Schmidt 51 Division President – Wholesale, Better and Image Brands Douglas W. Koch 60 Senior Vice President and Chief Talent and Strategy Officer Mark E. Hood 59 Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Michael I. Oberlander 43 Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary The period of service of each officer in the positions listed and other business experience are set forth below. Diane M. Sullivan, President and Chief Executive Officer since May 2011. President and Chief Operating Officer from March 2006 to May 2011. President from January 2004 to March 2006. Richard M. Ausick, Division President – Retail since January 2011. Division President – Famous Footwear from January 2010 to January 2011. Division President, Brown Shoe Wholesale from July 2006 to January 2010. Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer of Famous Footwear from January 2002 to July 2006. Daniel R. Friedman, Division President – Wholesale, Product and Sourcing since January 2010. Senior Vice President, Product Development and Sourcing from July 2006 to January 2010. Managing Director at Camuto Group, Inc. from 2002 to July 2006. John W. Schmidt, Division President – Wholesale, Better and Image Brands since January 2011. Senior Vice President, Better and Image Brands from January 2010 to January 2011. Senior Vice President and General Manager, Better and Image Brands from March 2008 until January 2010. Various positions, including Vice President, President, Group President of Wholesale Footwear for Nine West Group from September 1998 to February 2008. Douglas W. Koch, Senior Vice President and Chief Talent and Strategy Officer since January 2011. Senior Vice President and Chief Talent Officer from May 2005 to January 2011. Senior Vice President, Human Resources from March 2002 to May 2005. Mark E. Hood, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since October 2006. Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Panera Bread Company from April 2003 to May 2006. Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration of Panera Bread Company from August 2002 to April 2003. Michael I. Oberlander, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since March 2006. Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary from July 2001 to March 2006. Vice President and General Counsel from September 2000 to July 2001. | 10-K |
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