About 60 of Famous Footwear's 270 employees in Madison, WI, have committed to relocating to St. Louis or otherwise taking jobs with the company, a Brown Shoe Co. spokeswomen told Sports Executive Weekly. For example, some have agreed to take jobs in the field or in its Sun Prairie distribution center. Another approximately 40 individuals have not made up their minds, she added.
Over the past two weekends, Brown Shoe has flown more than 100 Famous Footwear employees and family members to St. Louis to better acquaint them with the community, at no charge to the employees. No deadline has been set for Madison workers to decide if they'll take the offer to relocate when the move begins in mid-July.
“We are working with each undecided employee to address his or her individual needs and questions,” said Dorothy Bell, PR manager. “We are committed to easing the transition as much as possible.”
She also said Brown Shoe is pleased with the number of employees agreeing to relocate to St. Louis, home to Brown Shoe's corporate HQ.
“While we would have wished that even more employees would have accepted our relocation offer, our expectations have been met and exceeded,” said Bell. “We understand each employee has a significant personal and professional decision to make, and we respect the decisions of those employees who decide not to accept our relocation offer.”
Famous Footwear president Joe Wood and the senior management team will be among those moving to St. Louis.
