NEW YORK, May 9, 2003 — Nautica Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: NAUT) today
announced that Christopher H. Heyn has been promoted to the position of
President of Nautica International, Inc., the Company's Nautica Men's
Sportswear unit, effective immediately. Mr. Heyn is currently the
President of Nautica Apparel, Inc., the Company's global brand
licensing subsidiary. Mr. Heyn will report to Harvey Sanders, Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Nautica Enterprises, Inc.
Mr. Heyn, who has over 22 years of experience in the men's apparel
industry, joined Nautica Apparel, Inc. in May 2001, and has
successfully directed the growth and development of Nautica's licensing
division through the addition of new partners as well as the expansion
of various Nautica-branded product categories. From 1997 until 2001 Mr.
Heyn was with the National Basketball Association (NBA), serving as
Senior Vice President of the Global Merchandising Group where his
responsibilities included all aspects of the group's global product
development, merchandising, licensing, sales development, marketing and
direct-to-consumer initiatives.
Mr. Harvey Sanders, commented, “It is with great pleasure that I
announce Chris' promotion to President of our Nautica Men's Sportswear
unit. Chris has proven to be a valuable asset to the Company, and we
are always happy to promote from within our organization. Chris brings
strong operations, management, merchandising and marketing skills, as
demonstrated throughout his extensive career in men's apparel, and we
look forward to benefiting further from his contributions.”
Prior to joining the NBA, Mr. Heyn served as President of Menswear
Marketing at Kellwood Corporation, where he was responsible for the
global management of the company's private label business as well as
the Nautica-licensed dress shirt and neckwear business. Mr. Heyn has
also held various senior executive positions serving as President and
CEO of Salant Menswear Group, President – C.F. Hathaway, a division of
Warnaco Corporation and Executive Vice President of Christian Dior
Sportswear. Other brands that he has worked on during his career
include Perry Ellis, Izod Lacoste and Jack Nicklaus Sportswear.
Mr. David Chu, Vice Chairman of Nautica Enterprises, Inc. and Chief
Creative Officer for the Nautica brand added, “Chris and I have worked
closely together over the past several years in his licensing role and
he has done a great job for us in this area. Chris has shown a true
understanding of Nautica's brand values and its global positioning and
is therefore, the ideal candidate for us to continue our plans in the
evolution of the Nautica brand.”
Mr. Chris Heyn concluded, “I am excited about my new role at the
Company. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the heritage of the
Nautica brand, and with a solid platform in place, look forward to
working with both Harvey and David in executing strategies to take the
Sportswear business to the next level.”
The Company is currently in the process of conducting a search to fill
the position of President of Nautica Apparel, Inc.
Nautica Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: NAUT), through its subsidiaries,
designs, sources, markets and distributes apparel under the following
brands: Nautica; Nautica Competition; Nautica Jeans Company; Earl Jean;
John Varvatos; E. Magrath; and Byron Nelson. For more information about
our Company, please visit our website at www.nautica.com.
Contact: Nautica Enterprises, Inc.
Wayne A. Marino, Senior Vice President
Chief Financial Officer
+1-212-541-5757
Shannon L. Froehlich, Vice President
Corporate Investor Relations
+1-212-541-5757;
FD Morgen-Walke
Financial Media Relations:
Stephanie Sampiere
+1-212-850-5600