The firm is the parent of Ross-Simons and Sidney Thomas.
CRANSTON, RI – Luxury Brand Holdings Inc., parent company of Ross-Simons and Sidney Thomas fine jewelry, has hired James M. Speltz as its new president.
Speltz brings 20 years of direct-to-consumer and merchandising experience to Luxury Brand Holdings. He previously served as CEO for Brookstone, a multi-channel specialty retail company. During his 18-year tenure with Brookstone, he also held various other roles, including chief operating officer, vice president of business development and vice president of supply chain. Most recently, he was COO for Teikametrics, a software and service provider to Amazon.com third-party merchants.
He will join Luxury Brand Holdings’ board of directors and report to Darrell S. Ross, CEO and chairman of the board.
“I am incredibly excited about Jim joining Luxury Brand Holdings,” Ross said. “As a company, we look forward to working with him in his new leadership role. Jim is a seasoned direct marketer who brings a fresh perspective to the ever-changing retail landscape. Together, we will expand and innovate on our brand footprint, build upon our strong corporate culture, and develop new strategies for providing high-quality fine jewelry at an exceptional value.”
Speltz said the LBH brand umbrella “represents the best of luxury, beauty, service, and value in the fine jewelry market.”
“I am honored and proud to join Darrell and the entire management team for our next chapter of growth,” he said. “The brand equity that has been built up since 1952 is an immensely powerful asset as we take an ambitious approach to growing our portfolio and customer base.”
The company also announced the planned retirement of Robert Simone, executive vice president and COO. Simone has served as COO for 19 years and will remain with the company through the second quarter of 2017.
Ross thanked Simone for his “operational excellence, leadership, and management of the company since 1998.”
“He has been an invaluable part of our team and will forever be woven into the legacy of our brands,” he said. “He will be missed, but we wish him all the best in his much-deserved retirement.”