Stuart Weitzman pursues international growth with new CEO

By

Lauren Walker

Published
Sep 10, 2013

Luxury shoe brand Stuart Weitzman has named former vice president Wayne Kulkin as chief executive officer. In the role, Kulkin will focus on the brand’s global expansion and will report to Stuart Weitzman, executive chairman of the company.

“Attracting senior-level talent for the hands-on, entrepreneurial culture at Stuart Weitzman will be a key part of our next phase of growth,” commented Stuart Weitzman on the appointment.

The company also announced the appointment of Roberta Lee as vice president of marketing (Asia Pacific) as it continues to drive development and communication in the region.

Of the creation of a new role, Susan Duffy, chief marketing officer, said: "We are implementing this strategic role as a result of our fast-paced retail expansion in the Asia Pacific region and Roberta's appointment will help support the levels of sales growth we envision over the next several years."

Growth Initiatives

Stuart Weitzman is looking engage in major store expansion over the next three years and forecasts considerable wholesale and e-commerce growth. The remainder of 2013 should see stores opening in Hong Kong, Rome and New York, adding to the brand’s 100 existing stores, 57 of which are located internationally.

After successfully launching a Europe e-commerce site in four languages in 2012, the company’s next digital endeavor is to launch a site servicing the Asia Pacific region.

Alongside a global store expansion, the brand has constructed a creative team tasked with the development of Stuart Weitzman handbags. The line is expected in to be unveiled in the second half of 2014.

Stuart Weitzman is owned it part by the Jones Group, which also has control of brands such as Kurt Geiger and Nine West and holds licensing agreements with Givenchy, Brian Atwood and Rachel Roy.


Lauren Walker