Major retailer targets three-phased reopen plan

One of the region’s largest retailers prepares for reentry. ‘It was much easier to close stores than it has been to reopen them,’ new CEO says.

By Mark Gordon
| 3:00 p.m. April 30, 2020
| 0 Free Articles Remaining!

Courtesy. Courtesy. Molly Langenstein, who had been president of Chicoâ€™s FASâ€™ two largest brands, Chicoâ€™s and White House Black Market, since August, was recently promoted to president and CEO.

News

The network of Chico’s FAS stores nationwide, some 1,300 locations under three brands, has been shuttered for nearly two months — but that doesn’t mean the company hasn’t been busy.

The Fort Myers-based women’s retailer, which did $2.03 billion in revenue in 2019 and is one of Southwest Florida’s largest private employers, is instead moving at a Christmas season-like pace. For starters, the publicly traded company posted double-digit sales growth in the six weeks since it was forced, by the economic shutdown, into becoming a digital-only business. The increase, company officials say, was driven mostly by active, lounge and sleep categories.

On the job

Molly Langenstein, named president and CEO of Fort Myers-based women retailer Chico’s FAS April 29, is one of multiple executives across the region grappling with how to run a business during the pandemic.

Working situation: Mostly working from home. Spends most of her time working on phone calls with earbuds while walking around her house.

Most important lesson learned in the shutdown: “It’s been key in this situation to be nimble and flexible.”

How far out into the future are you looking? “We have now, next and later.” Now is what’s pressing for the moment, next is the upcoming month or quarter, and later, she says, is “how much will this company need to change — because business will definitely change. The question is to what degree.”

How do you keep the team spirits up? Stay calm, be transparent, and be honest. “Make sure you give enough space for your people,” she says. “Remember this is hard for everyone.”

Exercise or stress relief have you’ve turned to during the crisis: She’s been doing Zoom calls with a personal trainer based in New York City, her former home, for workouts three times a week. She also practices yoga and meditation. “You need to make a schedule and stick to it,” Langenstein says. “I find a really have to make time for myself.”