Kwan New President of Goody’s

by MR Magazine Staff Jan 04, 2007

NEW YORK – Returning to her roots in mainstream retailing, Mary Kwan has joined Goody’s Family Clothing as president.

Kwan, who began her career at Mervyn’s and helped launch Levi Strauss Signature and remerchandise Sears Roebuck & Co., was most recently senior vice president of merchandising and design at Quiksilver Inc.’s Roxy brand. As president of Goody’s, she fills a post that has been vacant since Fred Mershad left the company two years ago.

She will oversee merchandising, licensing, planning, allocation, product development and design, quality assurance, sourcing, marketing and e-commerce at Goody’s.

 Mary Kwan

“Mary has deep experience in both the art and science of retail,” said Isaac Dabah, chief executive of Goody’s and GMM Capital LLC. “She can seamlessly cross over from merchandising to planning and allocation to marketing. I’m looking forward to the implementation of her winning strategies as we refocus the Goody’s brand.”

Goody’s corporate entity was renamed Goody’s Holdings Inc. when it was acquired by GMM Capital and PGDYS LLC for $327 million 13 months ago. Prentice Capital Management is the managing member of PGDYS.

Kwan started on the selling floor at Mervyn’s during its days as a unit of Target Corp., then Dayton Hudson Corp. She advanced to divisional vice president of children’s apparel before going to Lane Bryant, then part of Limited. Prior to joining Quiksilver, she launched Levi Strauss Signature, Levi Strauss & Co.’s mass-market operation, and during the mid-1990s helped to redirect Sears’ merchandising strategies.

“This opportunity is a perfect collaboration between my passion for retail and the passion and fun inherent in Goody’s heritage,” Kwan said.

Goody’s operates 385 stores in 21 states and specializes in such moderate brands as Nike, Adidas, Dockers, Levi’s, Lee, l.e.i., Mudd and U.S. Polo Association. However, the company owns the Duck Head trademark and also has launched other exclusive labels within its stores, among them Ivy Crew for men, Mountain Lake for women and OCI for juniors, young men and children. With headquarters in Knoxville, Tenn., Goody’s store presence is strongest in the Southeastern region of the U.S.