California Apparel News

Mall-based surf/skate retailer Pacific Sunwear of California announced that current Chief Executive Sally Frame Kasaks will step down June 29 and be immediately succeeded by Gary Schoenfeld, former president and chief executive of Vans and Global Brands Group. Kasaks has served as the Anaheim, Calif.–based chain retailer’s chief since 2006 and as the chairman of the board since 2007. She will remain with the retailer as a member of the board of directors after relinquishing her chairman post to Peter Starrett, the board’s current lead director.

“The board and I are delighted that Gary will join Pacific Sunwear. Gary is an experienced and talented leader with a proven track record in building brands from both a retail and wholesale perspective,” Kasaks said in a statement. “His marketing and merchandising background and familiarity with the youth fashion segment make him ideally suited for leading PacSun, and I am committed to working with Gary to ensure a smooth transition.”

Pacific Sunwear has struggled in recent years and is looking for a reinvention. Last year, the retailer announced it would be severely cutting its footwear buys. In May, Kasaks said Pacific Sunwear would shift its focus away from swimwear and boardshorts and toward tops, T-shirts and private-label denim.

Retail analyst Jeffrey Van Sinderen said that Schoenfeld was a good choice to lead the ailing Pacific Sunwear, which has not reported positive quarterly same-store sales since the third quarter of 2007.

Schoenfeld most recently served as vice chairman and president of Vans Inc. However, he has worked with the company for nine years and was deemed responsible for turning around the troubled but popular skate footwear and fashion brand and making it attractive to the powerful VF Corp., which purchased Vans in 2004. Schoenfeld is considered a talented marketer and was credited with helping Vans produce the brand’s high-profile series of rock concerts, called Vans Warped Tour.

“I don’t expect major, dramatic changes immediately,” said Van Sinderen, who works for Los Angeles–based B. Riley & Co. “He will respect what the board and the current CEO have done over the past couple of years, but he will make his changes. He will decide where he will make adjustments.”

Schoenfeld is expected to help Pacific Sunwear find its way back to profitability. Most likely he will focus on Pacific Sunwear’s core brands. Earlier this year, Pacific Sunwear said it would split its retail efforts between its core stores and value shops. The core stores would be located primarily in A-level malls and offer a lot of branded skate and surf fashions. The value shops would be located in C-level and some B-level malls and focus on selling Pacific Sunwear’s private-label brands, including Bullhead and Kirra. —Andrew Asch and Erin Barajas