Exhibit 3.1
CALERES, INC.
A New York corporation
BYLAWS
Effective: December 10, 2025
BYLAWS
of
Caleres, Inc.
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Notwithstanding anything in this Section 2 to the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the Board of Directors at an annual meeting of stockholders is increased in accordance with Article II, Section 1 and there is no public disclosure naming all of the nominees for directors or specifying the size of the increased Board of Directors made by the Corporation at least ten days prior to the last day a Noticing Stockholder may deliver a notice of nominations in accordance with clause (c)(A) of the first sentence of this Section 2, a Noticing Stockholder’s notice required by this Section 2 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to nominees for any new positions created by such increase, if it shall be delivered to the Secretary not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the day on which such public disclosure is first made by the Company.
The number of nominees a stockholder may include in its notice and nominate at a meeting may not exceed the number of directors to be elected at such meeting.
If mailed, such notice shall be directed to each stockholder at his or her address as it appears on the stock book unless he or she shall have filed with the Secretary of the Company a written request that notices intended for him or her be mailed to some other address, in which case it shall be mailed to the address designated in such request. Such further notice shall be given by mail, publication or otherwise, as may be required by the Certificate of Incorporation of the Company or by law.
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| A. | the class or series and number of shares of the Company which are, directly or indirectly, held of record or beneficially owned by the Noticing Stockholder, any other Holder and any Associated Persons thereof (provided that, for the purposes of this bylaw, any such person shall in all events be deemed to beneficially own any shares of the Company as to which such person has a right to acquire beneficial ownership at any time in the future, whether conditional or not), together with evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Secretary of the Company of such beneficial or record ownership; |
| B. | the class, type and amount of any debt securities or debt instruments of the Company or any of its affiliates directly or indirectly owned beneficially or held by each Holder and each of their Associated Persons, if any; |
| C. | an accurate and complete description of any Derivative Instrument directly or indirectly owned beneficially or held by each Holder and each of their Associated Persons, if any; |
| D. | a description of any proxy, contract, arrangement, understanding or relationship pursuant to which each Holder and each of their Associated Persons, if any, has a right to vote or has granted a right to vote any security of the Company; |
| E. | any Short Interest held by each Holder and each of their Associated Persons at present or within the last 12 months in any security of the Company; |
| F. | any direct or indirect legal, economic or financial interest (including Short Interest) of each Holder and each of their Associated Persons in the outcome of any (I) vote to be taken at any annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Company or (II) any meeting of stockholders of any other entity with respect to any matter that is related, directly or indirectly, to any nomination or other business proposed by any Holder under this bylaw; |
| G. | any direct or indirect interest of each Holder and each of their Associated Persons in any contract with or litigation involving the Company or any affiliate of the Company (including, in any such case, any employment agreement, collective bargaining agreement or consulting agreement); and |
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| H. | any material pending or threatened action, suit, investigation or proceeding (whether civil, criminal, investigative, administrative or otherwise) in which any Holder or any of their Associated Persons is, or is reasonably expected to be made, a party or material participant involving the Company or any of its affiliates or any of its or their officers, directors or employees (subclauses (A) through (H) of this Section 9(A)(i)(2) shall be referred to as the “Stockholder Information;” provided, however, that the Stockholder Information shall not include any such disclosures with respect to the ordinary course business activities of any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee who otherwise would be required to disclose Stockholder Information hereunder solely as a result of being the Noticing Stockholder directed to prepare and submit the notice required by this Section 9 on behalf of a Holder that is a beneficial owner); |
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The stockholder providing such stockholder’s notice shall further update and supplement such notice, if necessary, so that the information provided or required to be provided in such notice shall be true and correct as of the record date for the meeting and as of the date that is ten business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, and such update and supplement shall be delivered to the Secretary of the Company not later than five business days after the record date for the meeting (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of the record date), and not later than five business days prior to the date for the meeting if practicable (or, if not practicable, on the first practicable date prior thereto), any adjournment or postponement thereof (in the case of the update and supplement required to be made as of ten business days prior to the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof). The immediately foregoing provisions shall not (i) limit the Company’s rights with respect to any deficiencies in any notice provided by such stockholder, (ii) extend any applicable deadlines hereunder or (iii) enable or be deemed to permit such stockholder to change the nominee(s) specified in the notice or add new nominees after the deadlines hereunder have expired.
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Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Bylaws, no business shall be conducted and no person shall be qualified for election as a director of the Company at an annual meeting, except in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Bylaws. If the Board of Directors determines, if the facts warrant, that any proposed nomination was not made, or other business was not proposed, in compliance with these Bylaws, then except as otherwise required by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, at the meeting, the Chair of an annual meeting shall have the power and duty to declare to the meeting that such business was not properly brought before the annual meeting or that such nomination
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was not made in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Bylaws, and in accordance with the Bylaws any such business not properly brought before such meeting shall not be transacted and the defective nomination shall be disregarded. If at any meeting of stockholders a nomination or any other business is proposed to be brought before the meeting from the floor of the meeting, the Chair of the meeting shall have the power and duty to determine whether such business was properly brought, or such nomination properly made, before the annual meeting in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Bylaws. If the Chair of the meeting determines that business or a nomination was not properly brought as authorized in the preceding sentence, then, except as otherwise required by law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these Bylaws, at the meeting, the Chair of the meeting shall have the power and duty to declare to the meeting that such business was not properly brought before the annual meeting or that such nomination was not made in accordance with the procedures prescribed by the Bylaws, and in accordance with the Bylaws any such business not properly brought before such meeting shall not be transacted and the defective nomination shall be disregarded, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Company.
Unless otherwise required by law, if any stockholder provides notice pursuant to Rule 14a-19(b) under the Exchange Act and either (i) notifies the Company that such stockholder no longer intends to solicit proxies in support of director nominees other than the Company’s nominees in accordance with Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act or (ii) fails to comply with any requirements of Rule 14a-19 under the Exchange Act or any other rules or regulations under the Exchange Act, then the Company shall disregard any proxies or votes solicited for such nominees and such nomination shall be disregarded notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Company.
Upon request by the Company, if a stockholder provides notice pursuant to Rule 14a-19(b) under the Exchange Act, such stockholder shall deliver to the Company, no later than five business days prior to the meeting, reasonable evidence that it has met the requirements of Rule 14a-19(a)(3) under the Exchange Act. If the stockholder fails to provide such evidence, to the Company’s reasonable satisfaction, then the Company shall disregard any proxies or votes solicited for such nominees and such nomination shall be disregarded. The Chair of an annual meeting shall have absolute authority to decide questions of compliance with the procedures prescribed by the Bylaws, and his or her ruling thereon shall be final and conclusive.
If the notice requirements set forth in Article I, Section 9 are satisfied by a Noticing Stockholder, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Bylaws, unless otherwise required by law, if the Noticing Stockholder (or qualified representative) does not appear at the annual meeting of stockholders of the Company to make nominations or present the nominations or business proposed by such Noticing Stockholder pursuant to clause (c)(A) of the first sentence of Article I, Section 2 hereof, such nomination shall be disregarded and such proposed business shall not be transacted, even though proxies in respect of such vote may have been received by the Company. In order to be considered a qualified representative of the Noticing Stockholder, a person must be a duly authorized officer, manager or partner of such Noticing Stockholder or must be authorized by a writing executed by such Noticing Stockholder or an electronic transmission, in each case delivered within two business days of such meeting to the Secretary, by such Noticing Stockholder to act for such Noticing Stockholder as proxy at the meeting of stockholders, and such person must produce such writing or electronic transmission, or a reliable reproduction of the writing or electronic transmission, at the meeting of stockholders.
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All checks and drafts on the Company’s bank accounts and all bills of exchange and promissory notes and all acceptances, obligations and other instruments for the payment of money, shall be signed by the Chair of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, or a Vice-President, or the Treasurer, or by such other officer or officers or agent or agents as shall be thereunto authorized from time to time by the Board of Directors.
The fiscal year of the Company shall be determined as ending on the Saturday nearest to each January thirty-first, and each ensuing fiscal year shall commence on the day following the ending date of the immediately preceding fiscal year as so determined.
The corporate seal shall have inscribed thereon the name of the Company and the words “New York”, arranged in a circular form around the words and figures “Corporate Seal 1913”. In lieu of the corporate seal, a facsimile thereof may be impressed or affixed or reproduced.
The Bylaws of the Company may be amended, added to, rescinded or repealed at any meeting of the stockholders by the vote of the holders of record of shares entitled in the aggregate to more than a majority of the number of votes which could at the time be cast by the holders of all shares of the capital stock of the Company then outstanding and entitled to vote if all such holders were present or represented at the meeting, provided notice of the proposed change is given in the notice of the meeting. The Board of Directors may from time to time, by vote of a majority of the Board, amend these Bylaws or make additional bylaws for the Company at any regular or special meeting at which notice of the proposed change is given, subject, however, to the power of the stockholders to alter, amend, or repeal any bylaws made by the Board of Directors.
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