Tuesday, March 17, 2009

USA:Mr Zwiers to lead Wolverine’s Merrell, Patagonia & Chaco biz

USA:Mr Zwiers to lead Wolverine’s Merrell, Patagonia & Chaco biz

 


Wolverine World Wide announced the appointment of James D. Zwiers to the position of President, Outdoor Group. The Company's Outdoor Group consists of the Merrell, Chaco and Patagonia Footwear brands.

Since joining the company in 1998, Mr. Zwiers has had broad experience in brand and business strategy and retail, domestic and international wholesale, licensing, acquisitions and portfolio development. He most recently served as Senior Vice President of the Company with responsibility for retail, business development and other areas. As President of the Outdoor Group, Mr. Zwiers will lead the Company's global Merrell, Patagonia Footwear and Chaco businesses, and he will remain a Senior Vice President of the Company with responsibility for the Retail Group.

With these changes, Scott Sible will be able to dedicate all of his efforts to the Merrell brand as President of Merrell, with responsibility for increasing future growth and expanding the market share of the Company's largest brand. Since joining the Company in 1999, Mr. Sible has been a key architect of the Merrell brand strategy and will continue to drive Merrell's global growth and success as one of the very best performance outdoor brands in the industry.

Commenting on the announcement, Blake W. Krueger, CEO and President, stated, "Since joining the Wolverine portfolio in 1998, Merrell has grown its revenue to well over $400 million, and the brand's strong momentum continues around the world. The incredible growth of Merrell has resulted from an exceptional team, a fanatical focus on product and an industry-leading global distribution strategy.

Today, we are committing additional dedicated resources to the Outdoor Group and Merrell, in particular, to accelerate growth, increase our focus on the consumer, and provide a broader platform for the development of the Patagonia Footwear and Chaco opportunities. This new organizational structure provides the focus and attention needed for continued success in Merrell and across all of our Outdoor Group initiatives." 




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USA:Mr Zwiers to lead Wolverine’s Merrell, Patagonia & Chaco biz