Eddie Bauer Lives!
By George Anderson
They’re back. In what appears to be a partial reversal of an earlier decision to close 60 stores, Spiegel has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for approval to open seven Eddie Bauer locations with the option of adding 10 more.
Spiegel, trying to emerge from Chapter 11, has decided the Bauer locations make sense despite same-store sales for the business unit dropping six percent in October.
Many analysts have blamed slow apparel sales in the month on unseasonably warm weather.
A spokesperson for Spiegel declined to comment when asked by Crain’s Chicago Business if Spiegel has plans to sell Eddie Bauer.
Moderator’s Comment: Does Eddie Bauer have an important part to play if Spiegel is to be successful once it comes out of Chapter 11?
We know the Eddie Bauer name resonates with some consumers, although we also remember back to an exchange we had about six years ago with our then eight-year
old son as we walked through a mall in search of Build-A-Bear, if recollection serves.
“Daddy, who’s Eddie Bauer?”
“You know, honey, I don’t know.”
Six years later our kid has grown into a handsome, albeit slightly annoying, fourteen-year old while we haven’t aged. Even now, Neither of us know who Eddie
Bauer is or what the stores with his name stand for. [George
Anderson – Moderator]