Top Levi Strauss Executive Leaves Firm

Levi Strauss & Co. said the president of its Americas division has left the jeans maker, a move analysts say highlights the need to reinvigorate the firm’s faded brand. The San Francisco-based firm said James Lewis resigned to pursue other interests after less than a year on the job. During the search for his replacement, Levi Chief Executive Phil Marineau will head the Americas division, the company said. Levi Strauss said last month that fourth-quarter results showed its three-year effort to turn around the famed apparel maker was working. Harry Bernard, president of marketing firm Colton Bernard Inc., who closely follows the firm, said Levi Strauss has taken the first step in its turnaround by bolstering its financial footing. But now the firm needs to focus on rebuilding its brand and meeting challenges from other more youth-oriented clothing lines.