Chad Kessler Joins Dick’s Sporting Goods to Oversee Private Brands
Chad Kessler has settled at another Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-area retailer.
A well-respected retail executive who quietly departed American Eagle Outfitters this spring after seven years, Kessler has joined Dick’s Sporting Goods as executive vice president of vertical brands. Both Dick’s and American Eagle are based in the Pittsburgh area.
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Kessler, who started his new position on Monday will be responsible for leading the strategy, management and execution of all aspects of the Dick’s Vertical Brands organization, which includes the company’s private brands Calia, DSG, Vrst and Alpine Design, as well as its hardlines business.
From May 2021 until March, Kessler had been president of American Eagle Premium Brands, where he had full responsibility for the sales and revenue results at the flagship brand. He also oversaw the development and launch of AE77, a sustainable, premium denim brand, and was the catalyst behind the acquisition of Todd Snyder, the designer menswear company that American Eagle purchased for $11 million in 2015.
Before being put in charge of AE’s premium brands in 2021, Kessler had served as global brand president of American Eagle for six years.
He joined American Eagle after serving as chief merchandising officer of Urban Outfitters in North America, was also senior vice president of corporate merchandising at Coach, and spent 16 years at Abercrombie & Fitch. Kessler holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College, with majors in History and Art History.
Kessler was unavailable to comment on his new role on Monday, according to a spokesperson from Dick’s.
Kessler’s recent departure from American Eagle was kept under wraps. But sources speculated that he may have lost traction to the fast-rising Jennifer Foyle, who joined the company in 2010 and was the catalyst behind the growth of the company’s Aerie brand, growing sales from $224 million in 2014 to $1.4 billion today. Now president and executive creative director of both Aerie and American Eagle, Foyle has also created two new concepts for the company: Offline by Aerie, a business centered around leggings, and Unsubscribed, a higher-end, socially conscious store.
American Eagle said Michael Rempell, executive vice president/chief operations officer, now has executive oversight for the Todd Snyder business.
