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NEW YORK -- H.W. Mullins has signed on as chief executive officer of St. John Knits International, after stunning the industry by quitting as chairman and ceo of Neiman Marcus late last year.
The naming of Mullins to the St. John Knits post on Thursday confirms a report in WWD on Nov. 30.
Mullins will assume his ceo role at the end of this month, moving from his home in Dallas to St. John Knits headquarters in Irvine, Calif. He succeeds Bob Gray, who will continue as chairman.
St. John Knits is Neiman's biggest resource, with a companywide volume approaching $400 million. Reached by phone, Mullins said he sees a lot of potential for the brand, particularly by building on his retail expertise and by expanding into various accessories areas.
"I feel very fortunate to be going to a company with a lot of pluses," Mullins said. "The company is already doing very well and is very profitable, so it has the assets to do what we all want to do. It is also a private company, so we can make investments in the future without worrying too much about Wall Street."
St. John Knits is also one of Neiman's fastest-selling brands with the best regular-price sell-throughs in the chain, according to Mullins. It also has a strong brand name associated with luxury knits and growing sportswear and eveningwear businesses.
"I have...