Brown Shoe Company, owner of brands such as Famous Footwear, Sam Edelman, Via Spiga and Naturalizer, rang The Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Wednesday 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 percent and earnings per share improved almost 25 percent. Both the retail and wholesale businesses showed improvement, with Famous Footwear same-store sales up 2.9 percent and wholesale operations up 5.3 percent last year.
