WSA will present the first annual Global Strategic Footwear Forum, with Susquehanna Financial Group LLLP, based in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. John Shanley, senior equity research analyst for Susquehanna, will moderate a powerful lineup of footwear industry leaders offering industry and trend insights on Saturday, February 11, 2006, day two of the WSA Show.
Shanley, who regularly tracks the athletic and footwear categories for Susquehanna, will lead sessions with key footwear market leaders including: Herbert Heiner, chairman and CEO, adidas-Salomon AG (ADS GR); Killick Datta, chairman and CEO, Global Brand Marketing, Inc.; Ron Fromm, chairman and CEO, Brown Shoe (NYSE: BWS); Mark Lemond, president and CEO, Shoe Carnival (Nasdaq: SCVL); Tim ODonovan, CEO, Wolverine World Wide (NYSE: WWW); Matt Serra, CEO, Foot Locker (NYSE: FL); Diane Sullivan, president, Brown Shoe; Robert B. Tucker, Sr., president and CEO, The Shoe Show; Joe Wood, president, Famous Footwear and Jay Levitt, former president and CEO, May Merchandising Company. Topics include: Major Athletic Brand Market Overview: adidas-Salomon; Specialty Athletic Retailer: Foot Lockers View, Major Footwear Brand Licensing, Major Better Footwear Brand, Family Footwear Retailing, Non-Athletic Brands Outlook and a Major Department Store Chain perspective.
“This roster of brand and retail leaders was carefully assembled to present perspectives on all the vital sectors of the industry including: athletic, non-athletic and better brands on the product side and specialty athletic, family footwear and department stores on the retail side,” said Shanley.
“This forum of high-powered executives is the first of its kind at the WSA Show,” Shanley added. “This will be a meeting of some of the most influential leaders in the industry looking at issues and trends across the board that present both challenges and opportunities facing companies in this evolving marketplace. We anticipate a lively discussion and an open exchange of ideas from which all attendees can benefit, whether they are in management, sales, marketing or sourcing. With this event, WSA is cementing its role as the essential source of footwear industry insights and information.”
The Wall Street Journal named Shanley, a 25-year industry veteran, “Best on the Street” in the footwear and apparel category for the past two years. In May 2004, Forbes named him the top equity analyst in both the footwear and apparel categories. He frequently appears as a guest speaker on Bloomberg Television, CNBC and CNN and is also regularly quoted in Business Week, Fortune, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal, in addition to key trade publications. Mr. Shanley is a member and past president of the Retail Marketing Society (RMS).
