Keds Names Dave Grange as New Vice President of Sales

WALTHAM, Mass., June 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Keds, a division of Wolverine Worldwide WWW, announced the hiring of Dave Grange as the brand's vice president of sales, North America. Grange's hiring is emblematic of an eye towards growing the brand's presence in key retailers across the U.S., expanding into premium distribution and continuing to elevate the brand.

Prior to his current appointment, Grange spent 16 years at Pentland Brands in various roles. Most recently, he presided as chief executive officer of Pentland Brands overseeing the profit and loss statement for the wholesale business, focusing primarily on Lacoste footwear and Ted Baker. Previously at Pentland, Grange was president of Lacoste footwear in North America, driving topline growth of the brand over a three-year period.

"It's a privilege to be part of the leadership team guiding the Keds brand through the next phase of growth," stated Grange. "Keds is such an iconic American brand with over 100 years of history. My initial focus is building new premium distribution, implementing a full segmentation strategy while protecting the heritage and legacy of such an important brand."

"Dave brings years of expertise, specifically with global heritage brands and growing sales where brand recognition is already in place," said Gillian Meek, president of Keds. "We were the first athletic shoe created specifically for women and Dave is a seasoned footwear executive who not only honors brand legacy but has a shining track record of growing sales for iconic brands such as Keds."

In addition to his footwear expertise, Grange has been a guest speaker at the Footwear News CEO Summit and served as a Board member of the Two Ten Footwear Foundation.

ABOUT KEDS®
Founded in 1916, Keds® redefined footwear with the introduction of the Champion sneaker. The iconic design was one of the first options to provide women with accessible, fashionable footwear and ignited a style revolution. For more than 100 years, Keds® have been worn by iconic women such as Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Jackie O and Yoko Ono. In 2015, Keds® introduced the Ladies First Since 1916 platform in over 80 global markets and launched a powerful new era in its history. Celebrating its centennial year in 2016, the Keds® brand looks forward to another century of designing innovative collections, championing female empowerment and putting Ladies First. Keds® is a division of Wolverine Worldwide, the world's leading maker of casual, work, outdoor, athletic and children's footwear. For more information, please visit Keds.com.

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SOURCE Keds