Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> January 3, 2003

Michael Anthony – Brookstone Inc (bkst)

MICHAEL ANTHONY is President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Brookstone, Inc. Since he was first appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Brookstone, Inc., in 1994, Mr. Anthony has expanded retail and direct marketing operations, enhanced the company's development of proprietary product and overseen a sustained growth in revenue. Under his leadership, Brookstone has accelerated the development of proprietary products through the company's in-house design department, known as Brookstone Labs. Since Mr. Anthony came to Brookstone, sales generated from Brookstone-branded products have more than quadrupled, from just 14% in 1995 to more than 70% in 2002. Mr. Anthony has also directed the company's successful retail launch into some of the nation's busiest airports, including Hartsfield Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare, JFK, Logan and LAX. Brookstone currently operates more than 250 retail stores in 39 states and in Puerto Rico. Brookstone also operates a strong direct marketing business that distributes more than 33.5 million catalogs annually and includes a robust Website at www.brookstone.com. Before joining Brookstone, Mr. Anthony held various senior executive positions with Lechter's, Inc., a nationwide chain of 600 specialty stores, from 1989 to 1994. His posts included President in 1994, Executive Vice President from 1993 to 1994 and Vice President/General Merchandise Manager from 1989 to 1993. From 1978 to 1989, Mr. Anthony served various management positions ' including Divisional Vice President and Divisional Merchandising Manager ' at Gold Circle Stores, which, at the time, was a division of Federated Department stores. Mr. Anthony received a Master's in Business Administration from Bowling Green University in Ohio and a degree in Business and Economics from Westminster College in Pennsylvania. Profile
TWST: Would you begin with a brief historical sketch of

Brookstone and then a picture of things as they are now?

Mr. Anthony: The company started in 1965 with a space ad in

Popular Mechanics.