Lord and Taylor Appoints Regional Public Relations Team

    NEW YORK, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- LaVelle Olexa, Lord and Taylor's SVP,
 Advertising, Sales Promotion and Public Relations, announced today the
 appointment of a new Regional Public Relations Team. Another step toward
 the store's vigorous re-positioning, the team will be instrumental in the
 promotion of the brand in key markets when it is re-launched in September.
 It includes April Riccio, Director for the Washington, Boston and Midwest
 regions with Elizabeth Cooley directly in charge of the Chicago area,
 Judith Lederman for the Westchester County, Upstate New York and
 Connecticut stores and Karen Loeffler for those in Long Island. Additional
 appointments for other regions will be made shortly.
     In announcing the appointments, Olexa said: "I am excited to have
 sought out this exceptional group of seasoned public relations
 professionals to the Lord & Taylor team and to partner with them in the
 re-launch of our brand. Their extensive experience in promotion will
 strengthen all of our initiatives this Fall and their exceptional
 connections with groups, charities and non- profit organizations in their
 respective communities will make them outstanding ambassadors of Lord &
 Taylor as we move our store into the future."
     A leading Washington fashion retail figure, Riccio spent the last five
 years in Boston as Neiman Marcus' Public Relations and Fashion
 Presentations Director. She held the same position in Washington and at
 Saks Fifth Avenue, Jordan Marsh and John Wanamaker's, as well as the
 capital's own iconic stores, Garfinckel's and Woodward & Lothrop. Cooley,
 who will report to Riccio, brings to Lord & Taylor public relations and
 marketing experience in a variety of fields, including Felissimo, the
 retail division of the Museum of Modern Art, Chicago's Merchandise Mart
 Properties, Inc., The Merchandise Mart Design Center and the International
 Casual Furniture and Accessories Market, where she was the Marketing
 Director. Lederman joins the team after a two-year tenure as
 Editor-in-Chief of the The WAG, a prominent Westchester County publication.
 She also operated JSL Publicity and Marketing, her own public relations
 firm and was Vice President for Rubenstein and Associates in New York and
 Market Analyst for Consumer Reports Magazine. Loeffler held management
 positions at Tiffany & Co., St. John's and Saks, among other retailers. She
 was the Director of Client Services at the upscale Americana Manhasset
 shopping center, worked in the editorial staff at Conde Nast's Bride's
 Magazine and, most recently, was Director of Marketing Communications for
 The Maurer Foundation for Breast Health Education.
     Lord & Taylor is an upscale specialty department store with 47 stores
 in nine states and the District of Columbia. Lord & Taylor has built a
 reputation for attentive customer service and high-quality merchandise
 focused on apparel and accessories. Founded in 1826, Lord & Taylor's is
 America's oldest department store and one of America's premier retailers.
 
 

SOURCE Lord and Taylor