NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brown Shoe Company (NYSE:BWS) has acquired the Sam & Libby brand and
reunited it with its founders, Sam and Libby Edelman, it was announced
today. For the last eight years, the brand was owned by The Jones Group.
“We feel very strongly that this brand belongs with Sam and Libby, the
people who created it,” said Diane Sullivan, president and CEO of Brown
Shoe Company. “We purchased Edelman Shoe two years ago and last month,
we announced Libby’s return to Brown Shoe Company. The timing is perfect
to bring the Sam & Libby brand back into the fold. The potential for the
entire portfolio is exciting and certainly presents additional
interesting opportunities for us to explore.”
“This represents closure for Libby and me, a full circle,” said Sam
Edelman, founder of Edelman Shoe and division president for the Sam
Edelman Division of Brown Shoe Company. “We now have the opportunity to
see our vision realized as true lifestyle designers. It was very
important to us to have Sam & Libby back in our stable of brands.”
“This is an amazing opportunity for us to jump in and to use everything
we have learned to reenergize the Sam & Libby brand. The possibilities
are endless,” said Libby Edelman. “I guess it’s pretty clear now why I
came off of my sabbatical.”
For more than 30 years, Sam and Libby have worked not only as life
partners, but also as business partners, beginning with the very
successful launch of the Esprit footwear business in 1983 and again in
1987 with the launch of the Sam & Libby brand.
About Brown Shoe Company and Famous Footwear
Brown Shoe Company is a $2.6 billion, global, footwear company that puts
consumers and their needs first, by targeting the strategic Family,
Healthy Living and Contemporary Fashion platforms. We have more than 130
years of experience, passion and product innovation and operate more
than 1,300 Famous Footwear and Naturalizer retail stores across the
United States, Canada and China. We also design, source and market many
well-known wholesale shoe brands -- such as Naturalizer,
Dr.
Scholl's Shoes, LifeStride,
Sam
Edelman, Franco
Sarto, Via
Spiga, Vera
Wang, Avia
and Ryka
-- across multiple distribution channels. In addition to our retail and
wholesale operations, we maintain a strong online presence with our
ecommerce sites, Famous.com,
Naturalizer.com
and Shoes.com.
Visit brownshoe.com
to learn more about us. Brown Shoe Company: feel good and live better...
feet first!
