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GUITAR CENTER ANNOUNCES SENIOR
MANAGEMENT CHANGES
— David Angress Named Executive Vice President, International
Development and Proprietary Brands and Jay Wanamaker Named Executive
Vice President, General Merchandise Manager —
— Management Changes to Facilitate Company’s Growth and
Expansion —
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA, June 6, 2005 — Guitar
Center, Inc. (Nasdaq NMS: GTRC) has appointed David Angress to the newly
created position of Executive Vice President, International Development
and Proprietary Brands. Jay Wanamaker has been named Executive Vice
President, General Merchandise Manager, replacing David Angress.
“David and Jay are two of the best executives in
our industry and through their dedication and leadership we are confident
in our ability to continue to grow the Guitar Center brand and meet
the increasing demands of the musical instrument and professional audio
market sectors,” stated Marty Albertson, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of Guitar Center. “The management changes were completed
to further position the Company for long-term expansion. In their new
positions, David Angress and Jay Wanamaker will continue to assure operational
and transitional integrity as the Company begins its next phase of planned
growth addressing brand positioning, domestic and international sales
channels, marketing and vendor relations.”
As Executive Vice President, International Development
and Proprietary Brands, David Angress will be responsible for spearheading
and developing a plan for Guitar Center’s expansion outside the
U.S. He will also be concentrating his efforts on augmenting Guitar
Center’s extensive musical instrument and professional audio product
inventory with certain select, proprietary brands. Angress joined Guitar
Center in 1996 as Vice President of Merchandise for High Technology
Products, was promoted to Senior Vice President in 1998, and assumed
the role of Executive Vice President and General Merchandise Manager
in March of 2000. He has worked in the music industry for over 30 years
and prior to joining Guitar Center held executive sales and marketing
positions for several leading companies including Harman Pro North America,
AKG Acoustics, Inc. and Sound Genesis, a provider of professional audio
equipment and integration services.
“Although we are not planning for the roll out of
Guitar Center stores in the international marketplace for about two
to three years, we must plan far enough in advance so we can focus on
providing the ultimate customer experience in concert with our vendors’
marketing goals,” stated Angress. “We have a profound respect
for the different cultures we will be serving and want to be sure we
address them properly, rather than assuming our ‘American’
approach is optimal.”
In his new position as Executive Vice President, General
Merchandise Manager, Jay Wanamaker will oversee the Guitar Center divisions
that consist of buying, planning, marketing, advertising, in-store product
training and visual merchandising. He will also lead Guitar Center’s
promotions department that creates and implements the Company’s
extensive direct mail, radio and television advertising programs. A
25-year veteran in the music industry, Wanamaker joined Guitar Center
in 2000 and has directed various divisions of the Company including
the MI Division, Technology Division and Store Operations. Most recently,
he was chosen to oversee the integration and merger of the 19-store
American Music Group and 62-store Music & Arts Center into the Guitar
Center organization. Prior to joining Guitar Center, Wanamaker served
as Vice President/General Manager of the Yamaha Pro Audio & Combo
Division and as Assistant General Manager of the Yamaha Band & Orchestral
Division. A former percussionist and noted music educator, Wanamaker
has worked with numerous bands that have performed at high-profile events
including the 1984 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, Pan Am Games, Super Bowl
XXIII, Liberty Weekend and the McDonald’s All-American High School
Band.
About Guitar Center
Guitar Center is the nation’s leading retailer of guitars, amplifiers,
percussion instruments, keyboards, live-sound/DJ and recording equipment.
We presently operate 148 Guitar Center stores, with 120 stores in 48
major markets and 28 stores in secondary markets across the U.S. In
addition, the Music & Arts division operates 77 retail locations
specializing in band instruments for sale and rental, serving thousands
of teachers, band directors, college professors and students. Guitar
Center is also the largest direct response retailer of musical instruments
in the U.S. through our wholly owned subsidiary, Musician’s Friend,
Inc., and its catalog and web site, www.musiciansfriend.com.
More information on Guitar Center can be found by visiting the Company’s
web site at www.guitarcenter.com.
The Guitar Center logo is a registered trademark of Guitar
Center, Inc. Other brand or product names may be trademarks of the respective
companies with which they are associated.
Forward Looking Statements
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are not
guarantees of future performance and in fact may not be realized. Investors
are also urged to review carefully the discussion under the caption
“Risks Related to the Business” in our Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2005, which has been filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission and may be accessed through
the EDGAR database maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov.
INVESTOR CONTACT: |
Bruce Ross
Chief Financial Officer
(818) 735-8800 |
|
OR |
|
Financial Dynamics:
Leigh Parrish, Lila Sharifian
(212) 850-5651, (212) 850-5708 |
MEDIA CONTACT: |
Robert Clyne
Neilson/Clyne at (615) 662-1616 |