Type: Public
On the web: http://www.brownshoe.com
Employees: 13,400
Employee growth: 10.7%

There's no business like the retail and wholesale shoe business for Brown Shoe Company. Brown Shoe operates more than 1,100 Famous Footwear stores in the US and Guam, about 215 Naturalizer stores in the US and Canada, and close to a dozen F.X. LaSalle stores around Montreal, as well as shops in China and Guam. Besides the venerable Buster Brown line, its brands include Connie, LifeStride, and Naturalizer; it also sells Dr. Scholl's and Disney licensed footwear. The company distributes footwear worldwide through more than 2,000 retailers, including independent, chain (DSW), and department stores (Sears). Brown Shoe is opening new stores, closing underperforming ones, and updating styles to appeal to younger bipeds.

Key numbers for fiscal year ending January, 2011:
Sales: $2,504.1M
One year growth: 11.7%
Net income: $37.2M
Income growth: 291.9%

Officers:
Chairman: Ronald A. (Ron) Fromm
President, CEO, and Director: Diane M. Sullivan
SVP and CFO: Mark E. Hood

Competitors:
Collective Brands
Nine West
Wal-Mart

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