A New Setting for Friedman's

Friedman's Inc. (Savannah, Ga.), the third-largest jewelry retailer in the U.S., has announced a restructuring of its store management organization, creating a senior store operations team at company headquarters and consolidating the company's existing five divisional offices.

To lead the new store management organization, Friedman's announced the promotion of Stuart Clifford to the newly created position of senior vp, store operations. Clifford currently is president of Friedman's Midwest Division, responsible for 167 stores.

Friedman's Inc. operates 646 Friedman's Jewelers stores in 20 states, 426 of which are located in power strip centers and 220 in regional malls. It also operates 155 Crescent Jewelers stores on the West Coast, of which 100 are located in regional malls and 55 in power strip centers.