PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 8, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Five Below, Inc. (Nasdaq:FIVE), the leading retailer of extreme-value merchandise for teens, pre-teens and beyond, today announced that Michael Romanko has been named Executive Vice President of Merchandising, reporting directly to Joel Anderson, President. In his new role, Mr. Romanko will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of merchandising strategy and operations including product development.
"We are excited to welcome Michael to the Five Below team," said Tom Vellios, Co-Founder and CEO of Five Below. "As a merchandising driven organization, we have worked hard to build the incredibly talented team we have in place today. As we continue to grow and expand the business, it was important for us to find someone with the right creative vision and expertise to lead our merchandising efforts. A retail industry veteran, Michael is a proven merchant with extensive experience in all aspects of merchandising, product development, branding and sourcing. He will be a great addition to the team as we continue to deliver the trend-right, high-quality products customers have come to expect from Five Below."
"We have been working to fill this role for a while now and I am thrilled to have Michael, with whom I have worked previously, join the team," said Joel Anderson. "His broad range of experience and passion for merchandising will complement our seasoned buying and product development teams already in place. Furthermore, Michael's expertise and experience perfectly aligns with the Five Below mission, business and culture."
"I have long admired the Five Below brand for its unique merchandising assortment, value proposition and differentiated shopping environment," said Mr. Romanko. "I look forward to working closely with Tom, Joel and the talented merchandising team to continue to build upon the success of the brand and deliver on the promise of trend-right, high-quality products all priced at $5 and below."
Mr. Romanko brings more than thirty years of retail industry experience, most recently as Chief Design Officer with Patriarch Partners where he was responsible for merchandise line building and sourcing and design for 75 businesses. He has extensive experience in merchandising, product development and design, having held several executive positions with national retailers including Macys, Toys"R"Us, Linens 'n Things and Fortunoff.
Mr. Romanko will assume his new role at Five Below on January 19th, 2015.
About Five Below:
Five Below is a rapidly growing specialty value retailer offering a broad range of trend-right, high-quality merchandise targeted at the teen and pre-teen customer. Five Below offers a dynamic, edited assortment of exciting products in a fun and differentiated store environment, all priced at $5 and below, including select brands and licensed merchandise across a number of category worlds: Style, Room, Sports, Tech, Crafts, Party, Candy, and Now. Five Below is headquartered in Philadelphia. For more information, visit www.fivebelow.com.