Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) today announced the
appointment of Edouard Roche as President of Impact 21 Co., Ltd. Mr.
Roche will join Polo Ralph Lauren on February 18th, 2008. In this new
role, Mr Roche will be assuming responsibility for the strategic
leadership and day-to-day management of the Polo Ralph Lauren business
in Japan.
As President of Impact 21, Mr. Roche will replace Tadao Enomoto,
effective May 1st, 2008. Mr. Enomoto today announced his plan to
retire at the end of April, 2008, which is consistent with plans
discussed at the time of the tender offer for Impact 21.
Mr. Roche will report to Scott Bowman, Polo Ralph Lauren
Corporation President of International Business Development. In
addition, Toshio Hiyama, President & CEO of Polo Ralph Lauren Japan
Corp., the Japanese Master Licensee and a 100% owned subsidiary of
Polo Ralph Lauren, will continue to report directly to Scott Bowman.
On Mr. Enomoto´s retirement, Scott Bowman will also assume
responsibility for the role of Chairman of Impact 21.
Mr. Roche, who is fluent in Japanese, has significant experience
in the luxury goods industry, having worked for the last 17 years at
L´Oreal and prior to that, at Guerlain. He most recently held the
position of Worldwide General Manager of Redken 5th Avenue and prior
to that he was Worldwide General Manager of Shu Uemura Cosmetics K.K.,
based in Tokyo.
"We would like to convey our deep gratitude to Enomoto-san for his
contribution to Impact 21 and the Polo Ralph Lauren brand over the
past 22 years, and to thank him for his support in helping Impact 21
integrate into the Polo Ralph Lauren family," said Roger Farah, Polo
Ralph Lauren Corporation President and COO.
"We are very happy to welcome Edouard Roche to Polo Ralph Lauren.
With his successful track record in the luxury goods industry both in
Japan and abroad, we look forward to his contribution in our second
largest market," said Roger Farah, Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation
President and COO.
"Over the past 22 years, I have strived to introduce the Polo
Ralph Lauren lifestyles to Japanese consumers. I am a huge fan of Polo
Ralph Lauren and I greatly appreciate the opportunity I have had to
oversee the company´s operations in Japan. I am also very appreciative
of the support offered to me by Roger Farah and others at Polo Ralph
Lauren. With this new management team in place, I believe the Japanese
business will continue to grow," said Tadao Enomoto.
Edouard Roche added: "I am delighted to join Polo Ralph Lauren at
such an exciting stage in the company´s development in Japan. I look
forward to joining an excellent team and to working with them to
further accelerate the growth of the Polo Ralph Lauren brand in
Japan."
Note to Editors
About Impact 21
Established in 1984, Impact 21 is a majority owned subsidiary of
Polo Ralph Lauren. It manufactures and sells apparel from the Ralph
Lauren, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Polo Jeans brand collections. Impact 21
employs approximately 300 people. In May 2007 Polo Ralph Lauren
acquired a 97.3 percent stake in the company through a tender offer.
About Polo Ralph Lauren
Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation is a leader in the design, marketing
and distribution of premium lifestyle products in four categories:
apparel, home, accessories and fragrances. For more than 40 years,
Polo´s reputation and distinctive image have been consistently
developed across an expanding number of products, brands and
international markets. The Company´s brand names, which include Polo
by Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, Ralph Lauren Collection,
Black Label, Blue Label, Lauren by Ralph Lauren, RRL, RLX, Rugby,
Ralph Lauren Childrenswear, American Living, Chaps and Club Monaco,
constitute one of the world´s most widely recognized families of
consumer brands. For more information, go to
http://investor.ralphlauren.com.
