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<title>dbi-20240620</title></head><body><div style="display:none"><ix:header><ix:hidden><ix:nonNumeric contextRef="c-1" name="dei:EntityCentralIndexKey" id="f-21">0001319947</ix:nonNumeric><ix:nonNumeric contextRef="c-1" name="dei:AmendmentFlag" id="f-22">false</ix:nonNumeric></ix:hidden><ix:references xml:lang="en-US"><link:schemaRef xlink:type="simple" xlink:href="dbi-20240620.xsd"/></ix:references><ix:resources><xbrli:context id="c-1"><xbrli:entity><xbrli:identifier scheme="http://www.sec.gov/CIK">0001319947</xbrli:identifier></xbrli:entity><xbrli:period><xbrli:startDate>2024-06-20</xbrli:startDate><xbrli:endDate>2024-06-20</xbrli:endDate></xbrli:period></xbrli:context></ix:resources></ix:header></div><div id="i274275ea183e4cfbbfbe68178a283554_1"></div><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><span><br/></span></div></div><div style="-sec-extract:summary;margin-bottom:8pt;margin-top:8pt;text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:14pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">UNITED STATES</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:8pt;margin-top:8pt;text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:14pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:8pt;margin-top:8pt;text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Washington, D.C. 20549</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:8pt;margin-top:8pt;text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:18pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">FORM <ix:nonNumeric contextRef="c-1" name="dei:DocumentType" id="f-1">8-K</ix:nonNumeric></span></div><div style="margin-bottom:8pt;margin-top:8pt;text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New 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Act of 1933 (&#167;230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (&#167;240.12b-2 of this chapter).</span></div><div style="text-align:justify;text-indent:360pt"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Emerging growth company <ix:nonNumeric contextRef="c-1" name="dei:EntityEmergingGrowthCompany" format="ixt-sec:boolballotbox" id="f-20">&#9744;</ix:nonNumeric></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange </span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Act.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#9744;</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:8pt;margin-top:8pt"><span><br/></span></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><span><br/></span></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"/><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><span><br/></span></div></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.</span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">The 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the &#8220;Annual Meeting&#8221;) of Designer Brands Inc. (the &#8220;Company&#8221;) was held on June 20, 2024, via live audio cast. At the Annual Meeting, shareholders of the Company approved an amendment and restatement of the Designer Brands Inc. 2014 Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan (as Amended and Restated) (the &#8220;Amended Plan&#8221;). The Amended Plan is a long-term incentive plan, pursuant to which awards, including options, stock appreciation rights, restricted and unrestricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, and other awards may be granted to employees (including executive officers), consultants, and non-employee directors of the Company. The Amended Plan was adopted principally to, among other things, (i) increase the number of Class A Common Shares of the Company reserved for equity-based awards by 24,000,000 shares, (ii) clarify that dividends related to restricted stock awards and dividend equivalents related to restricted stock units shall not be paid currently and instead shall vest when the stock underlying the award vests, and (iii) update the clawback section to provide that a participant&#8217;s rights with respect to payment of any award is subordinate to the Company&#8217;s rights to recover payment under the final Dodd-Frank Act clawback rules and corresponding NYSE listing standards. No awards may be granted under the Amended Plan after June 19, 2034. It is not possible to determine specific amounts and types of awards that may be granted to eligible participants under the Amended Plan subsequent to the Annual Meeting because the grant and payment of such awards is subject to the discretion of the Human Capital and Compensation Committee of the Company&#8217;s Board of Directors.</span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">The summary of the Amended Plan is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amended Plan, which is filed as </span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#0000ff;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline"><a style="-sec-extract:exhibit;background-color:#ffffff;color:#0000ff;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline" href="https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1319947/000131994724000019/dsw-20240501.htm">Exhibit </a><a style="-sec-extract:exhibit;background-color:#ffffff;color:#0000ff;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline" href="https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1319947/000131994724000019/dsw-20240501.htm">4.5</a></span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%"> to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the &#8220;SEC&#8221;) on </span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#0000ff;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline"><a style="-sec-extract:exhibit;background-color:#ffffff;color:#0000ff;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline" href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1319947/000119312524164443/d843018ds8.htm">Ju</a><a style="-sec-extract:exhibit;background-color:#ffffff;color:#0000ff;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline" href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1319947/000119312524164443/d843018ds8.htm">ne 20</a><a style="-sec-extract:exhibit;background-color:#ffffff;color:#0000ff;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline" href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1319947/000119312524164443/d843018ds8.htm">, 202</a><a style="-sec-extract:exhibit;background-color:#ffffff;color:#0000ff;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline" href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1319947/000119312524164443/d843018ds8.htm">4</a></span><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%"> and incorporated herein by reference.</span></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:120%">Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.</span></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">At the Annual Meeting, the Company&#8217;s shareholders considered and voted on the matters set forth below, each of which is described in greater detail in the Company&#8217;s definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on May 3, 2024 (the &#8220;Proxy Statement&#8221;). Set forth below are the final voting results for each of the proposals submitted to a vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting.</span></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Proposal 1: Election of Three Class II Director Nominees</span></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Voting results regarding the election of three Class II director nominees were as follows:</span></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;margin-bottom:5pt;vertical-align:text-bottom;width:100.000%"><tr><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Name of Nominee</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Votes For</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Votes Withheld</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-right:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Broker Non-Votes</span></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle"><div><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Jay L. Schottenstein</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">89,558,580</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">12,974,264</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-right:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">4,523,783</span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle"><div><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Richard A. Paul</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">93,017,112</span></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">9,515,732</span></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-right:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">4,523,783</span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:middle"><div><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Joanne Zaiac</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">86,924,743</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">15,608,101</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-right:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">4,523,783</span></td></tr></table></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Based on the voting results set forth above, Messrs. Jay L. Schottenstein and Richard A. Paul and Ms. Joanne Zaiac were each duly elected as Class II directors with terms expiring at the Company's 2027 Annual Meeting of shareholders. </span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Proposal 2: Ratification of Appointment of Deloitte &amp; Touche LLP</span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Voting results regarding the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte &amp; Touche LLP as the Company&#8217;s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending February 1, 2025 were as follows:</span></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;margin-bottom:5pt;vertical-align:text-bottom;width:100.000%"><tr><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Votes For</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Votes Against</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Abstentions</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-right:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Broker Non-Votes</span></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">106,506,343</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">542,026</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">8,258</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-right:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:top"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:12pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">&#8212;</span></td></tr></table></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Based on the voting results set forth above, the appointment of Deloitte &amp; Touche LLP as the Company&#8217;s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending February 1, 2025 was duly ratified.</span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span><br/></span></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><span><br/></span></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"/><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><span><br/></span></div></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Proposal 3: Advisory Approval of Named Executive Officer Fiscal 2023 Compensation</span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Voting results regarding the non-binding, advisory vote on the fiscal 2023 compensation of the Company&#8217;s named executive officers as reported in the Proxy Statement were as follows:</span></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;margin-bottom:5pt;vertical-align:text-bottom;width:100.000%"><tr><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Votes For</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Votes Against</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Abstentions</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-right:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Broker Non-Votes</span></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">98,268,052</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">4,184,138</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">80,654</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-right:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">4,523,783</span></td></tr></table></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Based on the voting results set forth above, the fiscal 2023 compensation of the Company&#8217;s named executive officers was approved on an advisory basis.</span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%;text-decoration:underline">Proposal 4: Approval of an Amendment and Restatement of the Designer Brands Inc. 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan</span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Voting results regarding the approval of an amendment and restatement of the Designer Brands Inc. 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the "Amended Plan") were as follows:</span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:justify"><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;margin-bottom:5pt;vertical-align:text-bottom;width:100.000%"><tr><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:23.900%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Votes For</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Votes Against</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Abstentions</span></div></td><td colspan="3" style="background-color:#cceeff;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-right:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:top"><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Broker Non-Votes</span></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">73,884,711</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">27,995,505</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">652,628</span></td><td colspan="3" style="border-bottom:1pt solid #000000;border-left:1pt solid #000000;border-right:1pt solid #000000;border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">4,523,783</span></td></tr></table></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div><span style="background-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%">Based on the voting results set forth above, the Amended Plan was approved.</span></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><span><br/></span></div></div></div><hr style="page-break-after:always"/><div style="min-height:42.75pt;width:100%"><div><span><br/></span></div></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div style="text-align:center"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:112%">Signature</span><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:112%"> &#160;</span></div><div style="margin-bottom:8pt;margin-top:8pt"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:120%">Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. &#160; </span></div><div style="margin-bottom:8pt;margin-top:8pt"><table style="border-collapse:collapse;display:inline-table;margin-bottom:5pt;vertical-align:text-bottom;width:97.222%"><tr><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:4.463%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:18.148%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:27.922%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:5.366%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/><td style="width:1.0%"/><td style="width:38.601%"/><td style="width:0.1%"/></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:700;line-height:100%">Designer Brands Inc.</span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">By:</span></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">/s/ Lisa M. Yerrace</span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="border-top:1pt solid #000000;padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Lisa M. Yerrace</span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary</span></td></tr><tr style="height:15pt"><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/></tr><tr><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">Date:</span></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:2px 1pt;text-align:left;vertical-align:bottom"><span style="color:#000000;font-family:'Times New Roman',sans-serif;font-size:10pt;font-weight:400;line-height:100%">June 21, 2024</span></td><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/><td colspan="3" style="padding:0 1pt"/></tr></table></div><div><span><br/></span></div><div style="height:42.75pt;position:relative;width:100%"><div style="bottom:0;position:absolute;width:100%"><div><span><br/></span></div></div></div></body></html>
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dbi-20240620
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
June 20, 2024
Designer Brands Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Ohio
001-32545
31-0746639
(State or other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
(Commission File Number)
(IRS Employer Identification No.)
810 DSW Drive
,
Columbus
,
Ohio
43219
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
(Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code:
(
614
)
237-7100
N/A
(Former name or former address if changed since last report.)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
☐
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Shares, without par value
DBI
New York Stock Exchange
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange
Act.    ☐
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
The 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the "Annual Meeting") of Designer Brands Inc. (the "Company") was held on June 20, 2024, via live audio cast. At the Annual Meeting, shareholders of the Company approved an amendment and restatement of the Designer Brands Inc. 2014 Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan (as Amended and Restated) (the "Amended Plan"). The Amended Plan is a long-term incentive plan, pursuant to which awards, including options, stock appreciation rights, restricted and unrestricted stock, restricted stock units, performance awards, and other awards may be granted to employees (including executive officers), consultants, and non-employee directors of the Company. The Amended Plan was adopted principally to, among other things, (i) increase the number of Class A Common Shares of the Company reserved for equity-based awards by 24,000,000 shares, (ii) clarify that dividends related to restricted stock awards and dividend equivalents related to restricted stock units shall not be paid currently and instead shall vest when the stock underlying the award vests, and (iii) update the clawback section to provide that a participant's rights with respect to payment of any award is subordinate to the Company's rights to recover payment under the final Dodd-Frank Act clawback rules and corresponding NYSE listing standards. No awards may be granted under the Amended Plan after June 19, 2034. It is not possible to determine specific amounts and types of awards that may be granted to eligible participants under the Amended Plan subsequent to the Annual Meeting because the grant and payment of such awards is subject to the discretion of the Human Capital and Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors.
The summary of the Amended Plan is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Amended Plan, which is filed as
Exhibit
4.5
to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on
Ju
ne 20
, 202
4
and incorporated herein by reference.
Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
At the Annual Meeting, the Company's shareholders considered and voted on the matters set forth below, each of which is described in greater detail in the Company's definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on May 3, 2024 (the "Proxy Statement"). Set forth below are the final voting results for each of the proposals submitted to a vote of the shareholders at the Annual Meeting.
Proposal 1: Election of Three Class II Director Nominees
Voting results regarding the election of three Class II director nominees were as follows:
Name of Nominee
Votes For
Votes Withheld
Broker Non-Votes
Jay L. Schottenstein
89,558,580
12,974,264
4,523,783
Richard A. Paul
93,017,112
9,515,732
4,523,783
Joanne Zaiac
86,924,743
15,608,101
4,523,783
Based on the voting results set forth above, Messrs. Jay L. Schottenstein and Richard A. Paul and Ms. Joanne Zaiac were each duly elected as Class II directors with terms expiring at the Company's 2027 Annual Meeting of shareholders.
Proposal 2: Ratification of Appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP
Voting results regarding the ratification of the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending February 1, 2025 were as follows:
Votes For
Votes Against
Abstentions
Broker Non-Votes
106,506,343
542,026
8,258
—
Based on the voting results set forth above, the appointment of Deloitte & Touche LLP as the Company's independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending February 1, 2025 was duly ratified.
Proposal 3: Advisory Approval of Named Executive Officer Fiscal 2023 Compensation
Voting results regarding the non-binding, advisory vote on the fiscal 2023 compensation of the Company's named executive officers as reported in the Proxy Statement were as follows:
Votes For
Votes Against
Abstentions
Broker Non-Votes
98,268,052
4,184,138
80,654
4,523,783
Based on the voting results set forth above, the fiscal 2023 compensation of the Company's named executive officers was approved on an advisory basis.
Proposal 4: Approval of an Amendment and Restatement of the Designer Brands Inc. 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan
Voting results regarding the approval of an amendment and restatement of the Designer Brands Inc. 2014 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the "Amended Plan") were as follows:
Votes For
Votes Against
Abstentions
Broker Non-Votes
73,884,711
27,995,505
652,628
4,523,783
Based on the voting results set forth above, the Amended Plan was approved.
Signature
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Designer Brands Inc.
By:
/s/ Lisa M. Yerrace
Lisa M. Yerrace
Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Date:
June 21, 2024