American Eagle Outfitters Inc. (Pittsburgh) has re-hired former executive Roger Markfield for the newly created position, vice chairman and executive creative director.
Markfield started with the specialty apparel retailer in the early 1990s. He served as chief merchandising officer from 1995 to 2002, as co-ceo for about a year and vice chairman until his 2006 retirement. He had remained on the company’s board.
The move puts on hold for the moment the company's search for a new chief merchandising officer. American Eagle announced last summer that Susan McGalla, then president and chief merchandising officer, would not be sticking around following several months of disappointing results. Last December, same-store sales fell 17 percent.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, American Eagle ceo Jim O’Donnell described Markfield as someone who just loves retail and apparel, and who he hopes will bring renewed enthusiasm to the assignment. And Thomas Filandro, a Pittsburgh-area securities analyst, said of Markfield: “He represents the core DNA of the American Eagle brand. Without question, he's a merchant visionary.”