Bebe Names Birkhold as CEO
Beleaguered retailer Bebe Stores Inc. announced Jan. 3 that Steve Birkhold, president and chief executive of Lacoste America, was named chief executive for Bebe. The Brisbane, Calif.–headquartered women’s contemporary retailer runs a fleet of 250 stores, with 198 that are Bebe stores and 52 that do business under the 2b Bebe nameplate.
Birkhold will replace Manny Mashouf, the chain’s founder, who had been serving as chairman and chief executive. Mashouf will continue to work with the company as its non-executive chairman.
In a statement, Birkhold said, “I view my role as helping to keep the brand true to its heritage of style and sensuality, keeping relevant to both existing and potential new consumers while building a world-class, omni-channel retail strategy that seamlessly integrates in-store, online, mobile and social-media experiences.”
Bebe’s sales have been flailing since Emilia Fabricant, the popular president of the company’s Bebe division, left in August to join Aeropostale. On Jan. 3, the company announced that its same-store sales declined 10.5 percent for the fiscal second quarter of its 2013 fiscal year. Its net sales were $124.6 million, which marked a decline of 11.7 percent compared with the same quarter in the previous year, when Bebe announced net sales of $141.1 million.—Andrew Asch
