Claire's Stores, Inc. Announces Appointment of James Conroy as Executive Vice President

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., Dec. 14  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Claire's Stores, Inc., a leading specialty retailer offering value-priced jewelry and accessories, today reported that it is expanding its corporate management team.

We have recruited James Conroy to the Company to serve as Executive Vice President of Claire's Stores, Inc., reporting to the CEO. Jim will be the principal member of the Senior Management Team, assisting the CEO in developing and implementing strategic initiatives throughout our global business as we pursue our sales, EBITDA and cash flow targets. In addition, his functional areas of responsibility will include global strategic planning and implementation, information technology and international franchising and joint ventures, with each Senior Vice President responsible for these areas reporting to him directly.

Jim has been working as a full-time consultant to the Company since the acquisition and has been instrumental in the progress we have made to date as well as developing the strategic foundation for our future success.

Jim joins us with a considerable background in both consulting and retail management. He has 10 years of management consulting experience and became a principal at Kurt Salmon Associates in 2005, where he primarily led projects for retail and consumer products companies. Additionally, Jim has five years of retail executive experience, where his primary responsibilities included strategic planning, merchandising, and supply chain management.

Gene Kahn, CEO commented, "The Senior Management Team has already embraced Jim as a valuable contributor. He brings extensive experience and leadership skills to help refine Claire's initiatives, best business practices and move our business forward to better serve our customers."

Company Overview

Claire's Stores, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer of value-priced jewelry and accessories for girls and young women through its two store concepts: Claire's and Icing. While the latter operates only in North America, Claire's operates internationally. As of December 1, 2007, Claire's Stores, Inc. operated 3,061 stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Claire's Stores, Inc. operates through its subsidiary, Claire's Nippon, Co., Ltd., 202 stores in Japan as a 50:50 joint venture with AEON, Co., Ltd. The Company also franchises 162 stores in the Middle East, Turkey, Russia, Poland, and South Africa.

Additional Information:

Note: Other Claire's Stores, Inc. press releases, a corporate profile and the most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q Equivalent are available on Claire's business website at: http://www.clairestores.com/. 

DATASOURCE: Claire's Stores, Inc.



CONTACT:  Marisa F. Jacobs, Vice President of Corporate Communications

and Investor Relations of Claire's Stores, Inc., [phone],

Fax, [phone],  



Web site:  http://www.clairestores.com/ 



Company News On-Call:  http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/174913.html

Copyright