Michael Appel
Michael Appel
Michael Appel
MICHAEL
APPEL
Michael Appel, the founder of Appel Associates, is a highly regarded retail executive. He has had direct supervisory responsibility for every functional area within a retail operation and has extensive international sourcing and operating experience. Mr. Appel has expertise in women’s apparel, accessories, menswear and childrenswear and all categories of home furnishings across department store, specialty store, luxury, offprice and direct response channels of distribution. He has been retained by Goldman Sachs and other Private Equity/Lender Groups as Interim CEO and CRO for several well-known retailers and specialty consumer product companies ( Baccarat, Wilkes Bashford, Laura Ashley, MacKenzie Childs, Caswell Massey ). In each assignment, Mr. Appel made significant improvements in operating profitability and cash flow in short periods of time.
After receiving an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School, Mr. Appel joined Bloomingdale’s where he spent 10 years in merchandising both in home furnishings and apparel, rising to Divisional Merchandise Manager of Childrenswear. In 1983, he was recruited to Fortunoff as Vice President of Merchandising, where over four years, he increased comparable store sales by over 60% and increased gross margin over 3%. In 1987, he was recruited to Hoffritz for Cutlery, an 80 store national specialty chain, where after turning around company operations, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer.
In 1991, Mr. Appel established Appel Associates, an advisory firm that provides performance improvement and turnaround consulting services to retail and consumer goods companies. He has been retained by Boards of Directors as Interim CEO, financial advisor and CRO to turnaround and stabilize a wide variety of retail and consumer goods companies. In 2001, He served as Financial Advisor to the Creditor’s Committee of Kasper ASL, a leading manufacturer of women’s apparel under the Kasper and Anne Klein brands. After conducting a comprehensive strategic and operating review, a turnaround plan was developed and successfully implemented, and in December 2003 the Jones Group completed the acquisition of Kasper for an aggregate transaction value of $270 million. For his work on Kasper, the Turnaround Management Association awarded Mr. Appel its Large Company Turnaround of the Year Award.
At HCI Direct, he was retained as CRO to oversee the company’s prepackaged Chapter 11 proceedings and successful implementation of its restructuring plan. With the departure of the CEO, he was named Interim CEO, successfully managing the business, achieving plan, introducing a new product line and recruiting a new CEO.
In 2009, as Interim CEO, Mr. Appel led the successful stabilization and sale of the iconic San Francisco luxury apparel retailer Wilkes Bashford to the Mitchell Family.
While at Alix Partners, Mr. Appel worked on the General Growth Partners’ restructuring in 2010, and in 2011 served as Interim CEO of Baccarat Crystal, significantly increasing sales in its retail, wholesale and corporate sales divisions.
From 2013-2017 major consulting engagements included work with Kenneth Cole, Master Cutlery, Haskell Jewels, Avery Boardman, Versa Partners, DW Partners and Shanghai Shenda.
In 2017 he served as Chairman of the Board and Interim CEO of rue21, the 700 unit teen fast fashion retailer. In November 2018, the Board asked him to become permanent CEO, based on progress made under his interim leadership. He successfully executed the turnaround strategy he authored in 2017, culminating in a strong financial performance in fiscal 2019, with major improvements in revenues, gross margins and liquidity.
In 2020 he joined the Board of Ashley Stewart, becoming Executive Chairman of the omnichannel plus size retailer, until the company was sold in 2024.
From 2022-2024, Mr. Appel served as Leader of the Retail Practice of Getzler Henrich, the turnaround and performance improvement advisory firm, a Hilco Global Company. While there he created with WWD and Sourcing Journal , Retail Rx, a unique digital platform providing news, weekly retail insights and interactive content for the retail industry.
In addition to leading the practice at Appel Associates, He currently serves on the Board Of 360 Brands, whose flagship brands include FAO Schwarz, Sharper Image and Vornado Fans.
In addition to his turnaround management and performance improvement activities, Mr. Appel has provided strategic advisory, due diligence and expert witness consulting services to retailers, financial institutions, law firms and consumer product companies. Representative clients include Ford Motor Company, where he was retained to assist a management taskforce in formulating store retail strategies aimed at leveraging Ford and its nameplate brands outside the dealer network,; Barney’s New York, where he was retained by the bondholders and future owners of to review management’s strategic plan and provide due diligence prior to the Company exiting Chapter 11; and Castle Harlan, where Mr. Appel was retained to provide due diligence on the LBO of Sheriden Australia.
Mr. Appel graduated from Brandeis University (Phi Beta Kappa) and from the Harvard Business School (MBA with Distinction). He has served on many corporate and non-profit Boards including 360 Brands (FAO Schwarz and Sharper Image) rue21, Loehmann’s, Mattress Discounters, Charming Shoppes (where has was Chairman of the Compensation Committee ) Barth and Dreyfuss, and The Laboratory Institute of Merchandising Fashion Education Foundation. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of FIT’s Global Fashion Management MBA program, and is a member of The Fashion Group and the Turnaround Management Association, where he served on National Board, and was Chairman of the TMA Awards Committee. He is a past member of the Young President’s Organization.
Michael Appel, the founder of Appel Associates, is a highly regarded retail executive. He has had direct supervisory responsibility for every functional area within a retail operation and has extensive international sourcing and operating experience. Mr. Appel has expertise in women’s apparel, accessories, menswear and childrenswear and all categories of home furnishings across department store, specialty store, luxury, offprice and direct response channels of distribution. He has been retained by Goldman Sachs and other Private Equity/Lender Groups as Interim CEO and CRO for several well-known retailers and specialty consumer product companies ( Baccarat, Wilkes Bashford, Laura Ashley, MacKenzie Childs, Caswell Massey ). In each assignment, Mr. Appel made significant improvements in operating profitability and cash flow in short periods of time.
After receiving an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School, Mr. Appel joined Bloomingdale’s where he spent 10 years in merchandising both in home furnishings and apparel, rising to Divisional Merchandise Manager of Childrenswear. In 1983, he was recruited to Fortunoff as Vice President of Merchandising, where over four years, he increased comparable store sales by over 60% and increased gross margin over 3%. In 1987, he was recruited to Hoffritz for Cutlery, an 80 store national specialty chain, where after turning around company operations, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer.
In 1991, Mr. Appel established Appel Associates, an advisory firm that provides performance improvement and turnaround consulting services to retail and consumer goods companies. He has been retained by Boards of Directors as Interim CEO, financial advisor and CRO to turnaround and stabilize a wide variety of retail and consumer goods companies. In 2001, He served as Financial Advisor to the Creditor’s Committee of Kasper ASL, a leading manufacturer of women’s apparel under the Kasper and Anne Klein brands. After conducting a comprehensive strategic and operating review, a turnaround plan was developed and successfully implemented, and in December 2003 the Jones Group completed the acquisition of Kasper for an aggregate transaction value of $270 million. For his work on Kasper, the Turnaround Management Association awarded Mr. Appel its Large Company Turnaround of the Year Award.
At HCI Direct, he was retained as CRO to oversee the company’s prepackaged Chapter 11 proceedings and successful implementation of its restructuring plan. With the departure of the CEO, he was named Interim CEO, successfully managing the business, achieving plan, introducing a new product line and recruiting a new CEO.
In 2009, as Interim CEO, Mr. Appel led the successful stabilization and sale of the iconic San Francisco luxury apparel retailer Wilkes Bashford to the Mitchell Family.
While at Alix Partners, Mr. Appel worked on the General Growth Partners’ restructuring in 2010, and in 2011 served as Interim CEO of Baccarat Crystal, significantly increasing sales in its retail, wholesale and corporate sales divisions.
From 2013-2017 major consulting engagements included work with Kenneth Cole, Master Cutlery, Haskell Jewels, Avery Boardman, Versa Partners, DW Partners and Shanghai Shenda.
In 2017 he served as Chairman of the Board and Interim CEO of rue21, the 700 unit teen fast fashion retailer. In November 2018, the Board asked him to become permanent CEO, based on progress made under his interim leadership. He successfully executed the turnaround strategy he authored in 2017, culminating in a strong financial performance in fiscal 2019, with major improvements in revenues, gross margins and liquidity.
In 2020 he joined the Board of Ashley Stewart, becoming Executive Chairman of the omnichannel plus size retailer, until the company was sold in 2024.
From 2022-2024, Mr. Appel served as Leader of the Retail Practice of Getzler Henrich, the turnaround and performance improvement advisory firm, a Hilco Global Company. While there he created with WWD and Sourcing Journal , Retail Rx, a unique digital platform providing news, weekly retail insights and interactive content for the retail industry.
In addition to leading the practice at Appel Associates, He currently serves on the Board Of 360 Brands, whose flagship brands include FAO Schwarz, Sharper Image and Vornado Fans.
In addition to his turnaround management and performance improvement activities, Mr. Appel has provided strategic advisory, due diligence and expert witness consulting services to retailers, financial institutions, law firms and consumer product companies. Representative clients include Ford Motor Company, where he was retained to assist a management taskforce in formulating store retail strategies aimed at leveraging Ford and its nameplate brands outside the dealer network,; Barney’s New York, where he was retained by the bondholders and future owners of to review management’s strategic plan and provide due diligence prior to the Company exiting Chapter 11; and Castle Harlan, where Mr. Appel was retained to provide due diligence on the LBO of Sheriden Australia.
Mr. Appel graduated from Brandeis University (Phi Beta Kappa) and from the Harvard Business School (MBA with Distinction). He has served on many corporate and non-profit Boards including 360 Brands (FAO Schwarz and Sharper Image) rue21, Loehmann’s, Mattress Discounters, Charming Shoppes (where has was Chairman of the Compensation Committee ) Barth and Dreyfuss, and The Laboratory Institute of Merchandising Fashion Education Foundation. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of FIT’s Global Fashion Management MBA program, and is a member of The Fashion Group and the Turnaround Management Association, where he served on National Board, and was Chairman of the TMA Awards Committee. He is a past member of the Young President’s Organization.
MICHAEL APPEL
Michael Appel, the founder of Appel Associates, is a highly regarded retail executive. He has had direct supervisory responsibility for every functional area within a retail operation and has extensive international sourcing and operating experience. Mr. Appel has expertise in women’s apparel, accessories, menswear and childrenswear and all categories of home furnishings across department store, specialty store, luxury, offprice and direct response channels of distribution. He has been retained by Goldman Sachs and other Private Equity/Lender Groups as Interim CEO and CRO for several well-known retailers and specialty consumer product companies ( Baccarat, Wilkes Bashford, Laura Ashley, MacKenzie Childs, Caswell Massey ). In each assignment, Mr. Appel made significant improvements in operating profitability and cash flow in short periods of time.
After receiving an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School, Mr. Appel joined Bloomingdale’s where he spent 10 years in merchandising both in home furnishings and apparel, rising to Divisional Merchandise Manager of Childrenswear. In 1983, he was recruited to Fortunoff as Vice President of Merchandising, where over four years, he increased comparable store sales by over 60% and increased gross margin over 3%. In 1987, he was recruited to Hoffritz for Cutlery, an 80 store national specialty chain, where after turning around company operations, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer.
In 1991, Mr. Appel established Appel Associates, an advisory firm that provides performance improvement and turnaround consulting services to retail and consumer goods companies. He has been retained by Boards of Directors as Interim CEO, financial advisor and CRO to turnaround and stabilize a wide variety of retail and consumer goods companies. In 2001, He served as Financial Advisor to the Creditor’s Committee of Kasper ASL, a leading manufacturer of women’s apparel under the Kasper and Anne Klein brands. After conducting a comprehensive strategic and operating review, a turnaround plan was developed and successfully implemented, and in December 2003 the Jones Group completed the acquisition of Kasper for an aggregate transaction value of $270 million. For his work on Kasper, the Turnaround Management Association awarded Mr. Appel its Large Company Turnaround of the Year Award.
At HCI Direct, he was retained as CRO to oversee the company’s prepackaged Chapter 11 proceedings and successful implementation of its restructuring plan. With the departure of the CEO, he was named Interim CEO, successfully managing the business, achieving plan, introducing a new product line and recruiting a new CEO.
In 2009, as Interim CEO, Mr. Appel led the successful stabilization and sale of the iconic San Francisco luxury apparel retailer Wilkes Bashford to the Mitchell Family.
While at Alix Partners, Mr. Appel worked on the General Growth Partners’ restructuring in 2010, and in 2011 served as Interim CEO of Baccarat Crystal, significantly increasing sales in its retail, wholesale and corporate sales divisions.
From 2013-2017 major consulting engagements included work with Kenneth Cole, Master Cutlery, Haskell Jewels, Avery Boardman, Versa Partners, DW Partners and Shanghai Shenda.
In 2017 he served as Chairman of the Board and Interim CEO of rue21, the 700 unit teen fast fashion retailer. In November 2018, the Board asked him to become permanent CEO, based on progress made under his interim leadership. He successfully executed the turnaround strategy he authored in 2017, culminating in a strong financial performance in fiscal 2019, with major improvements in revenues, gross margins and liquidity.
In 2020 he joined the Board of Ashley Stewart, becoming Executive Chairman of the omnichannel plus size retailer, until the company was sold in 2024.
From 2022-2024, Mr. Appel served as Leader of the Retail Practice of Getzler Henrich, the turnaround and performance improvement advisory firm, a Hilco Global Company. While there he created with WWD and Sourcing Journal , Retail Rx, a unique digital platform providing news, weekly retail insights and interactive content for the retail industry.
In addition to leading the practice at Appel Associates, He currently serves on the Board Of 360 Brands, whose flagship brands include FAO Schwarz, Sharper Image and Vornado Fans.
In addition to his turnaround management and performance improvement activities, Mr. Appel has provided strategic advisory, due diligence and expert witness consulting services to retailers, financial institutions, law firms and consumer product companies. Representative clients include Ford Motor Company, where he was retained to assist a management taskforce in formulating store retail strategies aimed at leveraging Ford and its nameplate brands outside the dealer network,; Barney’s New York, where he was retained by the bondholders and future owners of to review management’s strategic plan and provide due diligence prior to the Company exiting Chapter 11; and Castle Harlan, where Mr. Appel was retained to provide due diligence on the LBO of Sheriden Australia.
Mr. Appel graduated from Brandeis University (Phi Beta Kappa) and from the Harvard Business School (MBA with Distinction). He has served on many corporate and non-profit Boards including 360 Brands (FAO Schwarz and Sharper Image) rue21, Loehmann’s, Mattress Discounters, Charming Shoppes (where has was Chairman of the Compensation Committee ) Barth and Dreyfuss, and The Laboratory Institute of Merchandising Fashion Education Foundation. He currently serves on the Advisory Board of FIT’s Global Fashion Management MBA program, and is a member of The Fashion Group and the Turnaround Management Association, where he served on National Board, and was Chairman of the TMA Awards Committee. He is a past member of the Young President’s Organization.
