Keep pulling the thread on Sharon Price-John.
In her first year as CEO, Sharon Price-John led Build-A-Bear to profitability, reversing a $49 million loss from the prior year.
Teens and adults now account for 40% of Build-A-Bear's sales.
Sharon Price-John's core strategy for Build-A-Bear was to pivot the company's identity from a mall-based retailer to an intellectual property company with a vertical retail component.
During Brian Nickel's tenure as CEO, Chipotle's market capitalization grew from approximately $6-7 billion to over $50 billion.
Build-A-Bear has achieved four consecutive years of record-breaking revenue.
Build-A-Bear's "Pay Your Age Day" promotion was so popular that it caused malls in the U.K. to shut down due to overwhelming crowds.
Build-A-Bear maintains licensing partnerships with major entertainment companies including Warner, Disney, Sanrio, and Pokemon.
Under CEO Brian Goldner's leadership, Hasbro strategically repositioned itself from a toy manufacturer to an intellectual property company.
Prior to 2013, Build-A-Bear's business was contracting due to its over-reliance on a mall-based growth strategy and its failure to participate in the digital economy.
Sharon Price-John's turnaround framework, called "SDSS," prioritizes eliminating unprofitable activities ("Stop Doing Stupid Stuff") before launching new initiatives.
Build-A-Bear's valuation multiple has expanded because investors are no longer valuing it solely as a mall-based retailer.
During the COVID-19 retail shutdown, Build-A-Bear focused on implementing its backlog of e-commerce and omni-channel initiatives to unlock new value.