Aeropostale names COO, CFO; cuts loss forecast

New York -- Aeropostale Inc. on Monday narrowed its fourth-quarter loss forecast on better than expected sales, margins, and expense management in January, and announced two executive appointments.



"I am encouraged with the progress we are making and that we were able to deliver higher comparable sales and margins in January, which allowed us to exceed our updated guidance. With today's announced executive appointments, we are returning to an organizational structure that existed when Aeropostale registered its most significant gains in sales and profitability," company CEO Julian Geiger said in a statement.



The retailer has appointed Marc D. Miller, currently executive VP and CFO for Aeropostale, has been appointed executive VP and COO. In his new role, he will be responsible for all aspects of supply chain management, including production, planning and allocation, and logistics, real estate and construction. He will also be responsible for human resources, and continue to be responsible for strategic planning and new business development, including international licensing.



Miller joined Aeropostale in 2005 as VP of strategic planning and new business development and was promoted to group VP in 2006, senior VP in 2007 and appointed CFO in 2010.



In other executive appointments, David J. Dick will join the company as senor VP and CFO on February 17, 2015. From 2009 to 2014, Dick served as the senior VP, CFO and treasurer of dELiA*s.



Previously, Dick was the CFO of Charlie Brown's Acquisitions Corp., a multi-concept casual dining restaurant operator, from 2006 to 2007. Additionally, Dick held a number of positions at Linens 'n Things from 1993 to 2006.



In reporting preliminary sales for the fourth quarter, Aeropostale said net sales decreased 11% to $594.5 million, from $670.0 million in the year ago period. Comparable sales, including the e-commerce channel, decreased by 9%, compared to a 15% decrease last year. The company's updated guidance compares to its previous estimate of an operating loss between $18 million to $23 million, or an earnings loss of 25 cents per diluted share to 31 cents per diluted share.