| Type | Public (NYSE: DSW) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | Incorporated in 1969, IPO in 2005 |
| Headquarters | Columbus, Ohio, USA |
| Number of locations | 352 (August 2011)[1] |
| Key people | Jay Schottenstein, President Michael MacDonald, CEO |
| Website | http://www.dswinc.com/ |
DSW Inc. (NYSE: DSW) is a speciality branded footwear retailer, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.
DSW opened its first store in July 1991 in Dublin, Ohio. In 1998, Value City Department Stores, Inc. purchased DSW. In December 2004, Retail Ventures, Inc. consolidated several brands. Until July 5, 2005, DSW operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Retail Ventures, Inc. which continues to hold 60% of the outstanding shares of DSW.[2]
Months prior to the initial public offering, DSW changed its name from Shonac Corporation to DSW Inc, which stands for Designer Shoe Warehouse.
In 2005, DSW experienced massive data theft resulting in over 1.4 million credit card transactions and an unknown amount of customer data stolen. [3]
In 2006, the IT departments from Retail Ventures Inc. and DSW Inc. were split off into a separate LLC called Brand Technology Services LLC (BTS)
In early 2008 DSW launched its e-commerce website.[4]
DSW shoes and purses labeled Audrey Brooke, Kelly & Katie, Lulu Townsend and Poppie Jones are brands created by DSW.
DSW announced its merger with Retail Ventures in February 2011.