Eddie Bauer
Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc.
Type
Public (NASDAQ: EBHI)
Founded
Seattle, Washington, USA
Founder(s)
Eddie Bauer
Headquarters
Bellevue, Washington
Area served
USA, Canada, Japan, Germany
Key people
Neil Fiske, President, CEO
William End, Board Chair
Industry
Retail
Products
clothing, sportswear, outdoor
gear
Employees
10,000 worldwide (2007)
Website
http://eddiebauer.com/
http://firstascent.com/
Eddie
Bauer
Holdings
Inc.
(NASDAQ: EBHI) is a holding company that
operates the Eddie Bauer clothing store
chain. Headquartered in Bellevue, Washing-
ton, the company formed subsequent to Ed-
die Bauer’s former parent company, Spiegel,
Inc. declaring bankruptcy. Eddie Bauer cur-
rently operates
three
independent sales
channels:
• Retail Stores - Sells "premium" Eddie
Bauer merchandise
• Outlet Stores - Sells Eddie Bauer
merchandise and inventory overstocks at
value or clearance price points
• Direct Order Center - Catalogs utilizing
call centers in Saint John, New Brunswick
and Groveport, Ohio and the website
(EddieBauer.com)
The company was first established in 1920 in
Seattle by Pacific Northwest Outdoorsman,
Eddie Bauer (1899 – 1986). In 1940 Bauer
patented the first quilted down jacket [1]. He
went on to patent numerous other designs
and was the first independent company that
the United States Army hired and allowed to
use a logo on the Army issued uniform.
Bauer retired and sold the company in
1968. General Mills bought Eddie Bauer in
1971, and Spiegel bought it from General
Mills in 1988. In 2003, Spiegel, Inc., entered
bankruptcy. The Spiegel catalog and all other
assets were sold, except for Eddie Bauer. In
May 2005, Spiegel, Inc., emerged from bank-
ruptcy under the name "Eddie Bauer Hold-
ings" and owned primarily by Commerzbank.
In addition to the three sales channels the
company operates a distribution and fulfill-
ment center in Groveport, Ohio; an IT facility
in Westmont, Illinois; and a distribution cen-
ter in Vaughan, Ontario. Eddie Bauer is also
a minority participant in joint venture opera-
tion