Chess King to stress young men's casuals. (men's clothing)

CHESS KING TO STRESS YOUNG MEN'S CASUALS RYE, N.Y. -- Melville Corp.'s Chess King division is being redirected to concentrate on young men's casual apparel.

Michael Friedheim, executive vice-president of Melville Corp., emphasized the new direction of Chess King at the corporation's annual meeting at its headquarters here. At the 30-minute, rapid-fire meeting, Friedheim said: "We're going to offer fewer styles and more depth to the styles (at Chess King) and there will be an intensification of our core items." The remerchandised division will continue to offer a mix of both private-label and branded merchandise, with "no percentage gains" in either area, Friedheim said.

The Chess King stores are also being redesigned, he added with the Willowbrook Mall store in Wayne, N.J., serving as the prototype. He declined to elaborate.

Stanley Goldstein, chairman, president and chief operating officer of the corporation, attributed Melville's slight drop in net earnings for the year, off 3.2 percent, to a difficult year for the economy, with consumer confidence dropping and energy prices on the rise.

He kidded that the company's "new building syndrome" was able to blame.

"We moved into our new headquarters one year ago today and our colleagues joked that we were doomed for a least one bad year," Goldstein said." If we had a waterfall in our lobby, we'd be doomed for two (bad years)."

The year was difficult for Melville's other apparel divisions: Marshalls, an off-price retailer, and Wilsons, a leather goods retailer.

"There was a modest same-store increase at Marshalls," Friedheim said, "due to promotional sales, but the recession affected our business, as 25 percent of our business is done in the Northeast," one of the hardest-hit areas.

There is also remodeling program at Marshalls, aimed at improving systems and getting merchandise to the consumer in a more timely manner. The company will continue to focus, Friedheim said, on women's sportswear, dresses and gifts and housewares.

Melville is also searching for a chairman and CEO for Marshalls, Friedheim said, to replace Frank Arnone, who resigned from this position April 12. Friedheim will be acting chairman of Marshalls until the position is filled.

At Wilsons, Friedheim said, "Leather sales go in cycles and it is not at the high end . . . There is no newness." He added that the recession hurt sales, as did the warm weather in November and December.

Chess King to stress young men's casuals. (men's clothing)

CHESS KING TO STRESS YOUNG MEN'S CASUALS RYE, N.Y. -- Melville Corp.'s Chess King division is being redirected to concentrate on young men's casual apparel.

Michael Friedheim, executive vice-president of Melville Corp., emphasized the new direction of Chess King at the corporation's annual meeting at its headquarters here. At the 30-minute, rapid-fire meeting, Friedheim said: "We're going to offer fewer styles and more depth to the styles (at Chess King) and there will be an intensification of our core items." The remerchandised division will continue to offer a mix of both private-label and branded merchandise, with "no percentage gains" in either area, Friedheim said.

The Chess King stores are also being redesigned, he added with the Willowbrook Mall store in Wayne, N.J., serving as the prototype. He declined to elaborate.

Stanley Goldstein, chairman, president and chief operating officer of the corporation, attributed Melville's slight drop in net earnings for the year, off 3.2 percent, to a difficult year for the economy, with consumer confidence dropping and energy prices on the rise.

He kidded that the company's "new building syndrome" was able to blame.

"We moved into our new headquarters one year ago today and our colleagues joked that we were doomed for a least one bad year," Goldstein said." If we had a waterfall in our lobby, we'd be doomed for two (bad years)."

The year was difficult for Melville's other apparel divisions: Marshalls, an off-price retailer, and Wilsons, a leather goods retailer.

"There was a modest same-store increase at Marshalls," Friedheim said, "due to promotional sales, but the recession affected our business, as 25 percent of our business is done in the Northeast," one of the hardest-hit areas.

There is also remodeling program at Marshalls, aimed at improving systems and getting merchandise to the consumer in a more timely manner. The company will continue to focus, Friedheim said, on women's sportswear, dresses and gifts and housewares.

Melville is also searching for a chairman and CEO for Marshalls, Friedheim said, to replace Frank Arnone, who resigned from this position April 12. Friedheim will be acting chairman of Marshalls until the position is filled.

At Wilsons, Friedheim said, "Leather sales go in cycles and it is not at the high end . . . There is no newness." He added that the recession hurt sales, as did the warm weather in November and December.