Levi Strauss & Co. named former chief executive officer of L.L. Bean Inc. Christopher McCormick to its board.
McCormick retired from the retailer in March after being with the company for 33 years. Stephen Smith was named ceo of L.L. Bean this past January. McCormick continues to serve as a director on the board of the specialty apparel and outdoor equipment retailer.
Levi Strauss & Co. said adding McCormick expands the board’s expertise. Stephen Neal, chairman of the board of Levi Strauss & Co., said as the company “works to accelerate profitable growth, we are expanding the board’s expertise in the fastest-growing areas of our business. [McCormick] brings incredibly relevant global retail experience, building L.L.Bean’s substantial e-commerce business, expanding its overall retail footprint and increasing profits for a century-old company that was reinventing itself for the modern consumer.”
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McCormick said he is “impressed by what Levi Strauss & Co. has accomplished in the past few years. There are few iconic apparel companies as well-regarded as this one, and I’m looking forward to lending my expertise to help unleash the potential of the business.”
During its most recent quarterly report, Chip Bergh, president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co., told WWD that the company’s men’s, women’s, tops and bottoms all experienced sales growth — globally. “Currency is still having an impact, but the sales growth was fairly broad-based,” Bergh noted, adding that the company was “off to a good start for the year.”
At L.L. Bean, McCormick began his career at the company in advertising “and rose through the executive ranks within marketing to become the chief marketing office,” Levi Strauss & Co. said in a statement. “During his time at L.L.Bean Inc., he also started and oversaw the international and e-commerce business, ran the women’s division and held the role of chief operating officer.”
McCormick is noted as the first non-Bean family member to become president and ceo. L.L. Bean was founded in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, and is based in Freeport, Maine. McCormick is a graduate from Fairfield University, and also graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program in 2000.