Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
Plummer & Associates has completed the assignment to recruit the President for Viva International. Mr. Antonia Bortuzzo has accepted the role and will lead this Somerville, New Jersey eyewear manufacturer and distributor. Viva International Group is a global leader in high-quality, fashion eyewear. Its portfolio ranges from accessible luxury brands GANT by Michael Bastian and GUESS by Marciano, to fashion and lifestyle brands BONGO®, CANDIE’S®, Catherine Deneuve, GANT, GANT Rugger, GUESS, Harley-Davidson®, RAMPAGE®, SKECHERS and William Rast, and value names Viva, Magic Clip®, and Savvy.
Most recently, Antonio Bortuzzo was chief executive officer (CEO) of Alain Mikli International Group in Paris. Mikli designs, manufactures and distributes ophthalmic frames and
sunwear, and has retail stores worldwide. Previously, he was the CEO of fashion optical eyewear wholesaler Allison S.p.A. in Padova, Italy, and, from 2002-2007 he was the CEO and general manager of Marcolin Group, Belluno as well as CEO of Marcolin, U.S. in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Susan Gill and I are pleased we were once again able to bring such high caliber talent to Viva International and similar high growth organizations. Over the past few months we have recruited the General Manager – International for Viva International based in the U.K., the General Manager – Canada, and the Senior Vice President – Sales for Viva in the U.S. This demonstrates our abilities to conduct international search assignments for our clients.
Tags: big box retail, dina lokets, executive search firms, heidi plummer, International Optical, International Retail, Italy, john plummer, macy's, modesto, national retail federation, new canaan Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, nrf, optical, optical retail, plummer & associates, plummer and associates, Plummersearch, plummersearch.com, retail careers, retail executive recruiters, retail executive search, retail recruiters, retailexecutivesearchfirms.com, susan gill, USC, wholesale optical, Womens Wear Daily, wsj
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Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
Plummer & Associates recruited the EVP-CAO/CFO to Charming Charlie, the high-growth retailer of women’s accessories based in Houston, Texas.
Mr. Thomas Fitzgerald joined and reports to Mr. Charlie Chanaratsopon , the Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Previously, Tom was the Chief Administrative Officer for Sears Canada based in Toronto. Earlier in his career he had been Chief Executive Officer for Lucky Brand Jeans, and Chief Operating Officer for Bath & Body Works.
Tags: big box retail, Columbus Ohio, Department Store History, department stores, dina lokets, direct marketing, ecommerce, executive search, FASHION EXECUTIVE SEARCH, Fashion Institute, fashion recruiter, Frito Lay, heidi plummer, HOUSTON, john plummer, Limited, macy's, modesto, Pepsico, plummer & associates, plummer and associates, Plummersearch, plummersearch.com, retail careers, retail executive recruiter, retail executive search, retail recruiter, Sears, Sears Canada, Specialty retail, susan gill, USC, wsj, WWD
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Wednesday, April 24th, 2013
The pundits are having a good time poking fun at Ron Johnson’s expense. Yes, he made big mistakes. However, he was not the real problem.
Penney’s has been declining for years. The real blame belongs to the Board and the prior management. Over the years, J C Penney focused on the same customer and followed those customers as they grew older; management failed to attract younger customer. Everyone in retail knows the younger customers are the profitable customers. Only during the brief tenure of Allen Questrom and Vanessa Castagna did J C Penney do the right things.
I always believed the probability of success in Ron’s strategy to take JCP upscale and simultaneously attract a younger customer was unlikely. As retailers switch from one customer base to another, the retailer usually first finds the bottom of the Grand Canyon. That is where JCP is today. The old customers do not like what they see and the new customers do not like shopping with the old customers. In my mind, investors cannot afford to take the time required to successfully support a retail turnaround.
I have seen several retailers attempt to make customer base changes. Some that come to mind are:
- Abraham & Straus Department Stores – Brooklyn, New York
- Sears – The Softer Side
- Kmart- The New Kmart
- Mervyn’s – Mervyn’s California
All were colossal failures. On the other hand, Target did successfully make a change but it was done gradually and over several years. The customer base change was also less significant.
The essence of this story is that the Board and management need to keep their eyes focused on the long-term health of the company versus short-term quarterly tactics. The truth is that a merchant prince can seldom pull off a successful major change in customer base.
Tags: big box retail, big box retailers, Dallas, Department Store History, department stores, dina lokets, ecommerce, executive search firms, fashion, fashion careers, Fashion Institute, heidi plummer, J.C. Penney Co, JCP, john plummer, modesto, national retail federation, nrf, plano, plummer & associates, plummer and associates, Plummersearch, plummersearch.com, retail, retail careers, retail executive search, Retail History, retail recruiters, retailexecutivesearch.com, retailing, Specialty retail, susan gill, TEXAS, USC, wholesale, Womens Wear Daily, WWD
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Saturday, January 14th, 2012
I had the awesome opportunity to attend the Premier for Red Tails, the new movie by George Lucas.
This movie about the Tuskegee Airmen in World War 2 is American history at its finest! It is also an enjoyable movie.
I have been lucky to have known George since childhood and have always been proud of his accomplishments. This movie and the related show on the History Channel is his giveback to our society. My heart pitter pats.
John
Tags: big box retail, dina lokets, george lucas, heidi plummer, john plummer, Lucas Film, modesto, NYTimes, Plummersearch, plummersearch.com, Red Tails, retail executive search firms, Retail History, retained retail executive search firms, susan gill, Tuskegee Airmen, USC, wsj, WWD
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Monday, December 5th, 2011
Plummer & Associates recruited Mr. Giovanni Pesce as SVP-International Sales for Viva Optique, a division of HVHC. Mr. Pesce brings extensive international experience in the eyewear industry. He will be based in Italy and his role will be to develop business in Europe, the Middle East, India, and in the Far East. He joined the company in December, 2011.
Tags: apparel executive search, department stores, dina lokets, European Retail, executive search, eye glasses, Eyewear, eyewear retail, eyewear sales, food service executive search, heidi plummer, International executive search, Italian Retail, john plummer, plummer & associates, plummersearch.com, retail, retail executive search, retail executive search firms, retail recruiters, Specialty retail, susan gill, USC, www.plummersearch.com
Posted in Talent Development/Education, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
Plummer & Associates, Inc.
P.O. Box 607
New Canaan, Connecticut 06840
(800) 603 9981
www.plummersearch.com
Happy Holidays!
At this time of year we all think of our relationships, friends and family. We also like to review our successes and seek areas for improvement.
2010 has been a better year for all of us involved in retail. Although the economy has a long way to go to fully recover, there are significant signs of improvement indicating that the consumer is spending more. That bodes well for all of us!
At Plummer & Associates our commitment is to do a better job than we have before. During the deepest part of the recession, we spent time re-thinking our business model and how we serve our clients. We have always been proud of our success in recruiting top candidates who excelled with our clients, but we challenged ourselves to work more efficiently and at less expense to our clients. We as a team are proud of what we have accomplished.
We have now added a blog to our website: www.plummersearch.com/blog. Currently this blog covers topics related to talent development and information for candidates. In January, as part of our contribution to the retail industry, the blog will cover the evolution of downtown retailers for the prime period from 1880 to 1960. Our first blog will cover the stores of Southern California and the second will cover Northern California. Over time, we will cover all states and provinces in North America, utilizing our collection of over 10,000 retail store postcards.
For now, we thank you for our relationship and want you to know that we are honored to work with you. We trust we have earned your respect so that we may continue this relationship in 2011.
We wish you the best for the holidays and look forward to being in touch in the New Year.
Sincerely,
John Plummer
Susan Gill
Heidi Plummer
Dina Lokets
Kathy Brooke
And the Plummer & Associates Team
P.S. The Santa buttons above are from our collection representing retail stores in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the U.K.
Tags: A&S, Abraham and Straus, Allied Stores, Bambergers, Black Stores, bloomingdales, Bon Marche, Bon Ton, Boston Stores, broadway, buffums, BULLOCK'S, Burdines, capwell, Carson, Carson Pierie Scott, Christmas, City of Paris, City Stores, Davidsons, Department Store History, department store santa pinbacks, department stores, emporium, FEDERATED DEPARTMENT STORES, Filene's, food service, Gimbel's, Goldsmiths, Hambergers, happy holidays, heidi plummer, holiday greetings, holiday pinback, Holiday Season, I MAGNIN, J Magnin, J.W. Robinsons, john plummer, Lord & Taylor, Macy, macy's, Marshall Fields, May Company Department Stores, Meier & Frank, Merchantile Stores, modesto, national retail federation, Nordstrom, nrf, plummer & associates, plummer and associates, Plummersearch, plummersearch.com, restaurants, retail careers, retail executive search, retail executive search firms, Retail History, retail holiday greetings, retail recruiters, retailexecutivesearch.com, Rhodes, Richs, santa, santa pinbacks, Seasons Greetings, Specialty retail, store, susan gill, thalheimers, USC, Walker Scott, Wannamaker, wholesale, Woodward Lothrup
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