Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> February 27, 2002
MARLA L. SCHAEFER is Vice Chairman of the Board of Claire's Stores, Inc.
She first became active at Claire's as a President Buyer for the New
York office in 1986. In April, 1988 she became Vice President of Fashion
Merchandising of Claire's Boutiques. She has been Vice Chairman of the
Board of Directors of Claire's Stores since March of 1998. As Vice
Chairman, Ms. Schaefer has been focusing on the investor relations,
marketing, the company's Internet strategy as well as human resources.
She was instrumental in developing the overseas buying program, which is
why Claire's has one of the highest margins in the retail industry. Ms.
Schaefer is also involved in new business development to give Claire's
the ability to grow both domestically and internationally in the future. Profile
TWST: Could we start with a brief overview of the history and evolutionof Claire's Stores?
Ms. Schaefer: Claire's is an accessory retailer. We've been in business
approximately 30 years. We