Jones Apparel Group, Inc. announced that it has promoted Jay Friedman to President, company-Owned Retail Footwear and Apparel, effective immediately. In this role, Friedman will focus on leveraging the company's infrastructure and relationships to enhance the retail footwear and apparel businesses. He will report to Andrew Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Wholesale Footwear and Accessories.
Friedman is a highly regarded executive with more than thirty-six years of experience in the footwear and apparel industry. He joined Jones in April 2006 as President, Wholesale Footwear, where he had design, sales, inventory and P&L responsibility for Easy Spirit, Enzo Angiolini, Circa Joan & David and Jones' children's brands.
Peter Boneparth, Chief Executive Officer of Jones Apparel Group, said, “Jay is an industry veteran with a well-rounded background in footwear and apparel, and we believe that he is the right manager to lead our retail businesses as we work to improve results. The performance of our wholesale footwear and accessories business has improved dramatically over the past several quarters, and we are encouraged by the strength of our Anne Klein, Nine West, Bandolino, and Enzo Angiolini brands. I am confident that the retail team will benefit from Jay's experience and insight, and that the success being realized in wholesale will extend to the company-owned retail and outlet businesses.”
Andrew Cohen, Chief Executive Officer, Wholesale Footwear and Accessories, said, “I have had the pleasure of working with Jay since he joined Jones, and he has consistently demonstrated himself as a talented merchant and effective leader. We have a deep bench of talent across our retail and wholesale businesses, and I believe that by leveraging this and our other strengths, we will continue our progress and achieve long-term growth and increased profitability.”
Prior to joining Jones, Friedman served as Chief Operating Officer and President of Wholesale, and served on the U.S. Board of Directors, for Aigner Group Inc. That company achieved very significant operating profit growth during his first year managing operations. Mr. Friedman previously served as USA President, Foot Locker, and in various management roles at The Dayton – Hudson Corp., where he oversaw increased sales. He has held management positions at Filenes Department Stores and R.H. Macy's Department Stores. Mr. Friedman was recognized as “Merchant of the Year” in 1996 and 1988 by Accessories Magazine and Footwear News, respectively.
