Levi Strauss CFO on Navigating Excess Inventory, His Expanded Role and Slower Hiring

Levi Strauss & Co. has kicked off a U.S. rollout of a system aimed at gaining better visibility into where its inventory is located and how well its branded stores are stocked, as the jeans maker continues to navigate excess supply and weaker spending from cost-conscious customers. 

The San Francisco-based company last week launched its new enterprise-resource-planning, or ERP, system in the U.S. after using it in Mexico and Canada, taking another step toward expanding its direct-to-consumer operation. At Levi Strauss, direct-to-consumer involves selling apparel through channels including the company’s roughly 240 U.S. stores under the Levi’s, Dockers and Beyond Yoga brands; its own e-commerce sites; and select “shop-in-shops” inside department stores.