SANDPOINT, Idaho, Sept. 20, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coldwater Creek Inc. (Nasdaq:CWTR) today announced that Claudia Runkel will join the Company on October 3, 2011 as Senior Vice President of Sourcing. Ms. Runkel will be responsible for all aspects of the Company's global sourcing initiatives and will report to Jill Dean, President and Chief Merchandising Officer.
Ms. Runkel possesses an extensive apparel industry background that spans more than 30 years and brings to Coldwater Creek significant experience in sourcing and product development.
Ms. Runkel joins the Company from Warnaco, where she was Senior Vice President of Global Sourcing, Product Development, and Technical Services, a position she has held for six years. Prior to this, Ms. Runkel was Vice President, Global Sourcing of Sportswear for Sara Lee Branded Apparel from 1997 to 2005. Previously, she held senior level positions for Wilson's Leather and Mast Industries. Ms. Runkel began her career as a merchant at Denver Dry Goods and Joske's.
Jill Dean said, "We are extremely pleased to have Claudia join Coldwater Creek. She brings extensive experience in developing and executing comprehensive sourcing strategies, which we believe will be invaluable to us as we work to optimize our direct sourcing penetration, broaden our vendor and country of origin base, and improve our speed to market."
Ms. Runkel said, "I am excited to join Coldwater Creek and lead the Company's sourcing efforts. Coldwater Creek is a brand with tremendous potential and I look forward to building upon the Company's sourcing platform and leveraging its talented team to create a strong and efficient sourcing organization."
About Coldwater Creek
Coldwater Creek is a leading specialty retailer of women's apparel, gifts, jewelry, and accessories that was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho. The company sells its merchandise through premium retail stores across the country, online at coldwatercreek.com and through its catalogs.
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:
This news release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the securities laws. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties, risks and assumptions that may not fully materialize or may prove incorrect. As a result, the Company's direct sourcing initiative may not be successfully implemented and may not be successful in reducing its product costs and our actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Important other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in the forward-looking statements are discussed in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations and speak only as of the date of this release. We do not assume any obligation to publicly release any revisions to forward-looking statements to reflect events or changes in our expectations after the date of this release.