Jan 12, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

New York & Company, Inc. Announces Addition of New Independent Director Miki Racine Berardelli to Its Board

New York & Company, Inc. [NYSE:NWY], a specialty apparel chain with 459 retail stores, announced the appointment of Miki Racine Berardelli as an independent director to its Board of Directors, effective January 3, 2018. Ms. Berardelli brings to the Company’s Board significant experience in digital marketing and commerce in the apparel retail industry. The background of Ms. Berardelli builds upon the talents of the existing Board members, which now includes eight independent members.

Ms. Berardelli, 47, has served as Chief Executive Officer of Kidbox, a fast-growing start-up digital commerce business selling children’s apparel and accessories, since 2016. Before joining Kidbox, from 2014 to 2016, Ms. Berardelli served as President, Digital Commerce & Chief Marketing Officer of Chico’s FAS, Inc. From 2009 to 2014, Ms. Berardelli served as Chief Marketing Officer of Tory Burch LLC, and from 2002 to 2009 she served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and in a number of other senior-level marketing positions for Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation. From October 2013 to August 2014, Ms. Berardelli was a member of the board of directors of Sport Chalet, Inc., a specialty sporting goods retailer. She holds an M.S. from Northwestern University and a B.A. from the University of Iowa.

Grace Nichols, New York & Company’s Non-Executive Chair of the Board of Directors, stated: “We are excited to welcome Miki to our Board of Directors and look forward to benefiting from her strong background in brand building, digital and social marketing and e-commerce, demonstrating our ability to grow our Board with the talented people who possess the skills and expertise to assist us to achieve our goals. Her deep knowledge and proven track record will be highly valuable to our Company as we look to more closely connect with our consumers to further increase brand awareness, consumer loyalty and drive sales across our brick-and-mortar and digital channels. We are proud to have a diverse Board which is now comprised of eight independent directors, five of whom are women who have a special appreciation for how the New York & Company brand makes women look great and feel good.”

About New York & Company

New York & Company, Inc. is an omni-channel women’s fashion retailer designing on-trend and versatile collections at a great value. The specialty retailer, first incorporated in 1918, has grown to now operate 459 retail and outlet locations in 39 states while also growing a substantial eCommerce business. Its branded merchandise, including collaborations with Eva Mendes and Gabrielle Union, is sold exclusively at these locations and online at www.nyandcompany.com. Additionally, certain product, press release and SEC filing information concerning the Company are available at the Company's website: www.nyandcompany.com.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements made within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Some of these statements can be identified by terms and phrases such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “estimate,” “continue,” “could,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” and similar expressions and references to assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable and relate to its future prospects, developments and business strategies. Such statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These include, but are not limited to: (i) the Company’s dependence on mall traffic for its sales and the continued reduction in the volume of mall traffic; (ii) the Company’s ability to anticipate and respond to fashion trends; (iii) the impact of general economic conditions and their effect on consumer confidence and spending patterns; (iv) changes in the cost of raw materials, distribution services or labor; (v) the potential for economic conditions to negatively impact the Company's merchandise vendors and their ability to deliver products; (vi) the Company’s ability to open and operate stores successfully; (vii) seasonal fluctuations in the Company’s business; (viii) competition in the Company’s market, including promotional and pricing competition; (ix) the Company’s ability to retain, recruit and train key personnel; (x) the Company’s reliance on third parties to manage some aspects of its business; (xi) the Company’s reliance on foreign sources of production; (xii) the Company’s ability to protect its trademarks and other intellectual property rights; (xiii) the Company’s ability to maintain, and its reliance on, its information technology infrastructure; (xiv) the effects of government regulation; (xv) the control of the Company by its largest stockholder and any potential change of ownership; and (xvi) other risks and uncertainties as described in the Company’s documents filed with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise the forward-looking statements included in this press release to reflect any future events or circumstances.