The new chief executive of Anaheim-based mall retailer Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. has made another hire as he seeks to turn around the seller of clothes inspired by surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding.
Gary Schoenfeld, who took over the struggling retailer in June, named a former retail vice president of Deutsche Telekom AG’s T-Mobile USA Inc. to head up Pacific Sunwear’s store operations.
Paula Lentini was named senior vice president of retail for Pacific Sunwear, where she’ll oversee the company’s 894 stores and the opening of new ones.
Earlier in Lentini’s career, she worked for Gap Inc. and Limited Brands’ Victoria’s Secret, AnnTaylor Stores Corp. and Macy’s Inc.
Lentini is the third key hire by Schoenfeld in recent months.
In February, he brought on a former Urban Outfitters Inc. manager, Christine Lee, as senior vice president and general merchandise manager of clothes for teen girls.
In January, he hired Robert Cameron, a former Levi Strauss & Co. executive, as senior vice president of marketing.
For the better part of two years, Pacific Sunwear has been in a funk as it has struggled with the economic downturn and a shift in tastes toward more edgy, urban styles and trendy, hip clothes known as fast fashion.
Schoenfeld, who earlier ran Cypress-based Vans Inc. before its 2004 sale to North Carolina’s VF Corp., is looking to revive Pacific Sunwear by playing up big clothing brands from Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc., Huntington Beach’s Quiksilver Inc., Hurley International LLC of Costa Mesa and Irvine-based Billabong USA, among others.
Pacific Sunwear has yearly sales of about $1 billion.
—Michael Lyster
