Third Executive Leaves Bebe
Bebe Stores Inc. announced that Erin Stern, president of the company’s Bebe Sport division, “was no longer with the company” as of Feb. 27.
The company did not indicate who would replace Stern or why she left.
Stern, who joined Bebe in August 2007 after working at Gap Inc., is the third executive in the last four months to leave the contemporary retailer, whose stores are primarily located in malls.
On Nov. 11, Dyan Jozwick, Bebe’s chief merchandise officer, left the Brisbane, Calif.–based company. On Jan. 9, Chief Executive Gregory Scott departed. Bebe executives did not respond to a request for comment.
Like many retailers, Bebe has been facing an uphill battle to woo consumers into its stores. Last year the company’s same-store sales declined 7.6 percent. In the second quarter ending Jan. 8, 2009, same-store sales were off 20.1 percent.
Retail analyst Adrienne Tennant, who works for Arlington, Va.–based Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. Inc., wrote in a Jan. 7 report that expectations for the company were low. “We do not see a return to positive comps until the company can create merchandise that better resonates with its core demographic,” she wrote.
Bebe, founded in 1976 by Manny Mashouf, who recently took over as chief executive, currently runs 213 Bebe stores in 35 states. The activewear-focused Bebe Sport division was launched in 2002 with 62 Bebe Sport stores. —Andrew Asch
