Specialty apparel retailer Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc. has appointed Neil S. Fiske as its new president/CEO starting July 9.
Mr. Fiske succeeds Howard Gross, a member of the board who was named interim CEO in February.
A proposed deal for Eddie Bauer, Redmond, WA, fell through in February when an insufficient number of stockholders voted in favor of approving the retailer’s sale to a holding company created by Sun Capital Partners Inc. and Golden Gate Capital.
Soon after, Eddie Bauer’s president/CEO and board member Fabian Mansson resigned. Mr. Gross, who previously served as president/CEO of Limited Brands’ Limited Stores and Victoria’s Secret Stores, stepped in on an interim basis.
Mr. Fiske also hails from Limited Brands, where he was CEO of Bath and Body Works. While there, he led the turnaround and brand transformation of the specialty retailer, reversing more than two years of negative comparable store sales and declining profits.
Under his four-year tenure, Bath and Body Works grew from $1.8 billion to $2.5 billion and achieved record profits in 2006. Mr. Fiske also helped launch a successful e-commerce and catalog business for the brand.
Prior to Limited Brands, Mr. Fiske spend 14 years at Boston Consulting Group. He is the author of “Trading Up: The New American Luxury.”
