bebe stores, inc. (Nasdaq: BEBE) announced the appointment of Renee Bell as its Executive Vice President, Merchandising, effective January 17, 2011. Renee has over 20 years of extensive women's specialty retail background, most recently serving as the President and Chief Merchandising Officer for Metropark USA.

?Renee's robust experience in all levels of women's specialty retail ? from buyer through various management and executive positions, positions her as well qualified to assume bebe's EVP, Merchandising role. We are very excited to have Renee working with us and are confident that her merchandising talents, fashion sense and knowledge of the bebe customer will serve bebe very well as we move forward,? said Manny Mashouf, bebe's Chairman and CEO.

bebe stores, inc. designs, develops and produces a distinctive line of contemporary women's apparel and accessories, which it markets under the bebe, BEBE SPORT, bbsp and 2b bebe brand names. bebe currently operates 252 stores, of which 216 are bebe stores and 36 are 2b bebe stores. These stores are located in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada. bebe also distributes and sells bebe branded product through both its subsidiaries and licensees in approximately 15 countries. In addition, bebe has an online store at www.bebe.com.

The statements in this news release and on our recorded message, other than the historical financial information, contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from anticipated results. Wherever used, the words ?expect,? ?plan,? ?anticipate,? ?believe? and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and the company's future results of operations could differ materially from historical results or current expectations. Some of these risks include, without limitation, miscalculation of the demand for our products, effective management of our growth, decline in comparable store sales performance, ongoing competitive pressures in the apparel industry, changes in the level of consumer spending or preferences in apparel, loss of key personnel, difficulties in manufacturing, disruption of supply, adverse economic conditions, and/or other factors that may be described in the company's annual report on Form 10-K and/or other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Future economic and industry trends that could potentially impact revenues and profitability are difficult to predict.

bebe stores, inc.
Walter Parks, 415-715-3900
Chief Operating Officer