Ralph Lauren’s son David, one of the driving forces behind Ralph Lauren Media’s e-commerce operation, has earned a promotion at his father’s namesake company.
The upscale apparel manufacturer, No. 53 in the 2016 Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, promoted David Lauren to the newly created position of chief innovation officer, according to a filing it made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, noting that he “has been instrumental in growing the Company’s global e-commerce business and building the Company’s global fashion image as it has expanded internationally.”
David Lauren has been involved with Ralph Lauren Media’s e-commerce business for over a decade and most recently was executive vice president of marketing and communications. According to a press release from 2004, he was responsible for the creation of the company’s Polo.com e-commerce site, which now redirects to RalphLauren.com.
According to Top500Guide.com, Ralph Lauren last year grew its online sales to an Internet Retailer-estimated $890 million, up 14.1% from $780 million in 2014. In its 10-K filing with the SEC, Ralph Lauren Media wrote that it expects to roll out a new global e-commerce platform built in-house within the next two years. The company has one dedicated e-commerce distribution center and call center in North Carolina. Ralph Lauren does not break out e-commerce in its earnings reports, however it reported an e-commerce comparable store sales gain of 2% in fiscal 2016. Comparable store sales excluding e-commerce saw a 8-9% decline year over year.
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