Chicago — Claire’s Stores, Inc. has appointed James D. Fielding as CEO, effective June 18, 2012. Fielding most recently served as president of Disney Stores Worldwide.
Chicago — Claire’s Stores, Inc. has appointed James D. Fielding as chief executive officer. He will assume the CEO position on June 18, 2012, and will also join the company’s board of directors.
“Jim is a proven retail executive with 25 years of experience who possesses a compelling combination of leadership skills and merchandising acumen,” says Peter P. Copses, chairman of the board of directors. “At Disney Store, Jim successfully managed a specialty retailer with significant international operations and a well-developed e-commerce business. We are confident in Jim’s ability to lead this team and to capitalize on the many growth opportunities available to Claire’s today.”
The search for a new CEO began in January.
“I look forward to capitalizing on the many growth initiatives available to the company, including new stores, development of the Icing concept, continued international expansion in markets such as Mexico, India and China, and optimization of e-commerce,” says Fielding.
Fielding joins Claire’s from The Walt Disney Company, where he was most recently president of Disney Stores Worldwide. In this capacity, Fielding was responsible for all global operations of the 360 Disney Stores in twelve countries as well as the DisneyStore.com business in five countries. He served as the architect of the company’s brand and merchandising strategy, new store expansion including successful launch of a new concept in June 2010, the acquisition and turnaround of the Disney Stores Japan business, and the development and expansion of the company’s global e-commerce business, among other initiatives.
Claire’s Stores operates through its two store concepts: Claire’s® globally and Icing® in North America. As of April 28, 2012, Claire’s Stores, Inc. operated 3,074 stores in North America and Europe. The company also franchised or licensed 375 stores in Japan, the Middle East, Turkey, Russia, Greece, Guatemala, Malta, Ukraine, Mexico and India.
For more information, visit http://www.clairestores.com.