Jones Group Taps Coach Exec as Footwear Head, Article Review Example

A popular online fashion portal WWD recently reported that former President of North America wholesale and global licensing at Coach, Inc., Kathy Nedorostek will join Jones Group as Group President of Global Footwear and Accessories. Nedorostek will oversee expansion of Jones’ footwear, handbag, and jewelry divisions and will report directly to the company’s President and CEO of branded businesses, Richard Dickson (WWD).

Jones Group owns several high profile brands such as Anne Klein, Nine West Vintage America Collection, and Gloria Vanderbilt (Jones Group, Inc.). This article helps us understand several facts and trends in the fashion industry. First of all, more and more fashion brands are now focused on global expansion in search of profitable opportunities. In addition, the demand for non-fashion related skills has been growing including operations management in order to take advantage of economies of scale. This is why Kathy Nedorostek has been picked up from Coach because she can help the Jones Group expand its global reach as well as build a more efficient global supply chain network.

We also observe the emerging trend of consolidation in the industry where companies are creating a portfolio of previously independent brands to cater to the needs of greater number of consumer segments. Similarly, many brands have been diversifying their product offerings to take advantage of emerging fashions trends which explains why Nedorostek has been picked up to focus on shoes, jewelry, and handbags. Nedorostek’s appointment at a position which falls directly under the company’s CEO also demonstrates that fashion companies are not hesitant to steal talent from their rivals and the competition of valuable skills is quite intense in the fashion industry.

References

Jones Group, Inc. The Jones Group Brands. 17 September 2012 <http://www.jonesgroupinc.com/brands>.

WWD. Jones Group Taps Coach Exec as Footwear Head. 11 September 2012. 17 September 2012 <http://www.wwd.com/footwear-news/people/jones-group-taps-coach-exec-as-footwear-head-6269140>.