Fabric Library Seeks MD with Levitt's Departure
July 7, 2008
DURBAN, South Africa - Mariana Levitt, the managing director of Fabric Library here, has left her position just a year after her appointment.
Fabric Library is one of the most important fabric wholesalers in South Africa today.
Kevin Wright, group managing director of Wellington Industries, which owns Fabric Library and is part of the Claus Daun group of companies, said he had not been happy with her performance and asked her to resign. "I asked her to spend more time in the market but she didn't listen," he said. Wright stressed, though, that her lack of performance had not affected the company's finances.
Wright also said that Levitt had done a good job of developing Fabric Library's ready-made division for five years. In her position as managing director, she had replaced Hugh Stevenson.
Stevenson resigned his post in July, 2007 after purchasing Fabric Library's shutters division, Custom Lifestyle Shutters. Fabric Library sold the division because it wanted to concentrate on its core business. Stevenson was Fabric Library's managing director for six years prior to purchasing the shutters business. "The business, which imports shutters and provides a measuring and installation service for custom-made shutters and doors, is doing fantastically well," he said. Before joining Fabric Library, Levitt worked for Loads of Living, a South African home decor retailer, as a product developer and designer.
"We tried to recruit someone to replace Stevenson, who had left a bit of a hole, and when we couldn't find anyone we decided to look internally," Wright said.
"Levitt's brief was basically to fill Stevenson's shoes, to stabilize the ship and to navigate it through the tough trading market through which we have been going."
He said that in the beginning Levitt made a good job of changing internal matters, tightening up discipline and making changes to the warehouse and distribution mechanisms.
"However, over time she didn't do enough in terms of sales or marketing or team building," he said. He said he was currently looking for someone with leadership qualities, a strong sales and marketing orientation and good team building skills.
Meanwhile, Leslie Donel Douglas, who was the design director at Fabric Library for many years, left in April 2007 to join Halogen International, another South African fabric wholesaler as its advertising manager. She was replaced by Sally Ives at Fabric Library who has also since left. Two people now occupy Ives' former design role.
Fabric Library is one of the most important fabric wholesalers in South Africa today.
Kevin Wright, group managing director of Wellington Industries, which owns Fabric Library and is part of the Claus Daun group of companies, said he had not been happy with her performance and asked her to resign. "I asked her to spend more time in the market but she didn't listen," he said. Wright stressed, though, that her lack of performance had not affected the company's finances.
Wright also said that Levitt had done a good job of developing Fabric Library's ready-made division for five years. In her position as managing director, she had replaced Hugh Stevenson.
Stevenson resigned his post in July, 2007 after purchasing Fabric Library's shutters division, Custom Lifestyle Shutters. Fabric Library sold the division because it wanted to concentrate on its core business. Stevenson was Fabric Library's managing director for six years prior to purchasing the shutters business. "The business, which imports shutters and provides a measuring and installation service for custom-made shutters and doors, is doing fantastically well," he said. Before joining Fabric Library, Levitt worked for Loads of Living, a South African home decor retailer, as a product developer and designer.
"We tried to recruit someone to replace Stevenson, who had left a bit of a hole, and when we couldn't find anyone we decided to look internally," Wright said.
"Levitt's brief was basically to fill Stevenson's shoes, to stabilize the ship and to navigate it through the tough trading market through which we have been going."
He said that in the beginning Levitt made a good job of changing internal matters, tightening up discipline and making changes to the warehouse and distribution mechanisms.
"However, over time she didn't do enough in terms of sales or marketing or team building," he said. He said he was currently looking for someone with leadership qualities, a strong sales and marketing orientation and good team building skills.
Meanwhile, Leslie Donel Douglas, who was the design director at Fabric Library for many years, left in April 2007 to join Halogen International, another South African fabric wholesaler as its advertising manager. She was replaced by Sally Ives at Fabric Library who has also since left. Two people now occupy Ives' former design role.
