UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15 (d)
of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 24, 2018
XCEL BRANDS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 001-37527 | 76-0307819 | ||
|
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| 1333 Broadway, New York, New York | 10018 | |
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (347) 727-2474
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| ¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company x
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
| Item 5.02 | Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers’ Arrangements of Certain Officers |
On January 24, 2018, Deborah Weinswig was appointed a director of Xcel Brands, Inc. (“Xcel”). Deborah Weinswig is an award-winning global retail analyst and a specialist in retail innovation and technology. As Managing Director of Funding Global Retail & Technology (“FGRT”), the think tank for the Hong Kong-based Fung Group, since April, 2014. She is responsible for building the team’s research capabilities and providing insights into the disruptive technologies that are reshaping today’s global retail landscape. Ms. Weinswig was named one of the Top 50 Retail Influencers by Vend in both 2016 and 2017 and received the Asia Retail Congress’s Retail Leadership Award in 2016.
Prior to leading FGRT, Weinswig served as Chief Customer Officer for Profitect Inc. a predictive analytics and big data software provider. From March 2002 to October 2013, Ms. Weinswig was employed by Citigroup, Inc., most recently where she was Managing Director and Head of the Global Staples & Consumer Discretionary team at Citi Research. She was ranked as the #1 analyst by Institutional Investor for 10 years and was named one of the 36 Best Analysts on Wall Street by Business Insider in 2012.
Ms. Weinswig is a member of the Advisory Board of several accelerators, including Alchemist Accelerator (where she serves as Faculty Mentor), The Cage (a Hong Kong–based accelerator powered by The Lane Crawford Joyce Group), Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, Grand Central Tech, New York Fashion Tech Lab, Plug and Play, Revtech Accelerator, Techstars, TrueStart (UK) and XRC Labs. She is involved in early-stage investing through the Hong Kong Business Angel Network (HKBAN) and Golden Seeds. Weinswig also serves as an advisor to companies such as Eventable, Fashwire, Nanopay, RetailNext, Rubin Singer, Smartzer, TigerTrade, and TRIVVER.
In addition, Ms. Weinswig is a member of the board of a number of philanthropic organizations, including GoodXChange (where she is also Chief Research Officer), Soles4Souls and Street Soccer USA. She is an Executive Board Member of The Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing at the University of Arizona and an Advisory Board Member of the World Retail Congress. Ms. Weinswig also serves as an e-commerce expert for the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Research Task Force and was a founding member of the Oracle Retail Industry Strategy Council. Lastly, she is a member of the Board of Directors of Kiabi (affiliated with the Auchan Group).
Weinswig is a Certified Public Accountant. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
| (d) | Exhibits. |
| 99.1 | Press Release of XCel Brands, Inc. dated January 25, 2018 |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
|
XCEL BRANDS, INC. (Registrant) | ||||
| By: | /s/ James F. Haran | |||
| Name: | James F. Haran | |||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |||
Date: January 25, 2018
Exhibit 99.1
DEBORAH WEINSWIG NAMED TO XCEL BRANDS, INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A leading retail analyst, Weinswig is also a globally recognized innovator in retail and technology
NEW YORK, January 25, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:XELB) announced today the appointment of Deborah Weinswig to its board of directors. A leading global retail analyst, Weinswig is the Managing Director of FGRT (Fung Global Retail & Technology), the think tank for the Hong Kong-based Fung Group.
Robert D'Loren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Xcel Brands, Inc. said, "We are thrilled to add Deborah to our board of directors. She is a highly respected innovator in retail and technology and brings deep expertise and thought leadership to our organization. I look forward to working together to drive change and develop new solutions for today’s retail challenges.”
As Managing Director of FGRT, Weinswig built the team’s research capabilities and provided insights into the advanced technologies that are changing the global retail industry. Earlier, Weinswig served as Head of the Global Staples & Consumer Discretionary Team at Citi Research. She was ranked as the #1 analyst by Institutional Investor for 9 consecutive years, and in 2012 was named one of Business Insider’s “36 Best Analysts on Wall Street.”
"It is exciting to be joining the board of Xcel Brands, a company I have long admired for its bold leadership in disrupting the retail environment,” commented Weinswig. “The combined forces of Xcel’s senior executive team and board of directors will continue to leverage breakthrough technologies that expand the business and create greater value to shareholders, retail partners, and consumers.”
Weinswig is a member of the advisory board of numerous accelerators including Alchemist Accelerator, where she serves as faculty mentor; The Cage, a Hong Kong–based accelerator powered by The Lane Crawford Joyce Group; Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator; Grand Central Tech; New York Fashion Tech Lab; Plug and Play; Revtech Accelerator; Techstars; TrueStart (UK); and XRC Labs. Weinswig also serves as an advisor to companies such as Eventable, Enterworks, Fashwire, LincGlobal, Nanopay, Rich Receipts, Smartzer, Tooso, SupplyAI, TigerTrade, and TRIVVER.
Weinswig was named among the top five retail influencers of 2018 and 2017 by Vend, the cloud-based point-of-sale and retail platform, and is a recipient of the Asia Retail Congress’s Retail Leadership Award. In addition, she serves as an e-commerce expert for the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC’s) Research Task Force and was a founding member of the Oracle Retail Industry Strategy Council. She is a member of the board of directors of Kiabi (affiliated with the Auchan Group); an executive board member of The Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing at the University of Arizona; and an advisory board member of the World Retail Congress and a founding member of the Goodwill Retail Advisory Council. She also serves on the boards of numerous philanthropic organizations, including GoodXChange and Street Soccer USA.
Ms. Weinswig’s appointment to Xcel’s board fills a vacancy following the retirement of Edward Jones. In accordance with Xcel’s board procedures, Ms. Weinswig will be a candidate for re-election to the board at the company’s annual meeting of stockholders.
# # #
About Xcel Brands (www.xcelbrands.com)
Xcel Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ:XELB) is a media and consumer products company engaged in the design, production, licensing, marketing and direct-to-consumer sales of branded apparel, footwear, accessories, jewelry, home goods, and other consumer products, and the acquisition of dynamic consumer lifestyle brands. Xcel was founded by Robert W. D'Loren in 2011 with a vision to reimagine shopping, entertainment and social as one. Xcel owns and manages the Isaac Mizrahi, Judith Ripka, H Halston, C. Wonder and Highline Collective brands, pioneering an omnichannel sales strategy which includes the promotion and sale of products under its brands through direct-response television, internet, brick and mortar retail, and e-commerce channels. Headquartered in New York City, Xcel Brands is led by an executive team with significant technology, design, merchandising, production, marketing, retailing, and licensing experience and a proven track record of success in elevating branded consumer products companies. With a team of over 100 professionals focused on design, production, and digital marketing, Xcel maintains control of product quality and promotion across all of its product categories and distribution channels. The total lifetime retail sales of its brands exceed $7.5 billion.
Contact
Stephanie Taylor
347-727-2483
staylor@xcelbrands.com