NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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.
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!
