Koret Taps Brooks and Burak
Harold S. Brooks has been named president and chief executive officer of Oakland, Calif.–based Koret, according to Hal J. Upbin, president and chief executive officer of St. Louis–based Kellwood Co., which owns Koret.
The company’s former chief executive officer, Fred Smeyne, is retiring after a 34-year tenure at the company. Smeyne will stay with Koret through March 2004 to assist with the transition of the new management team, according to a press statement released by the apparel giant.
Brooks has more than 30 years of experience in retail with department stores such as May Department Stores’ Famous-Barr division, where he served as president and chief executive officer from 1998 to 2000. More recently, Brooks developed strategic international expansion initiatives for Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc., a specialty retailer in St. Louis.
In his new position, Brooks will be in charge of day-to-day operations as well as strategic planning. He will report to Stephen L. Ruzow, president of Kellwood’s womenswear division.
“Harold’s strong retailing background in merchandising and strategic planning, coupled with his impressive retail relationships, will provide the leadership the Koret team needs as we continue to expand the product offerings under the Koret umbrella and launch new initiatives such as Levi’s Dockers tops and Beliza,” Ruzow said.
There are other changes afoot. The company announced the promotion of Larry Burak to chief operating officer of Koret. Prior to taking his new post, Burak held the position of executive vice president of operations for the company. Before that, he held executive positions at Guess? Inc., The Limited and Liz Claiborne Inc. Burak will oversee manufacturing, imports and sourcing, as well as finances, customer service and information technology.
Both Brooks and Burak will be based in Oakland. —Claudia Figueroa
