FONTANA, CA – Alan Krantzler was appointed president of baggallini, upon the retirement of Dennis Eckols.
Prior to becoming president of the baggallini handbag division, Eckols was chief operating officer of baggallini from 2003 to 2011, when the brand was acquired by RG Barry. He is a 30-year veteran of the retail industry and has also held management positions at Fred Meyer Inc., The May Company, and Dayton Hudson.
Eckols is succeeded by Alan Krantzler, who has been with baggallini since November 2014 as head of creative and general manager. Previously, Krantzler was chief merchandising officer at Tumi where he worked for over a decade, and helped grow the business into a $500 million global lifestyle and accessories brand.
He led product management, creative services, visual and retail store merchandising, marketing, new business development and market research. Previously he held various senior level merchandising and marketing positions at Coach and Perry Ellis International.
“I am honored to take over the reins from Dennis,” said Krantzker in a statement. “He helped steward the business from a small start-up founded by two flight attendants in 1995 to a highly respected brand with more than 3,000 points of distribution. baggallini has an extensive and exceptionally loyal consumer following. This, combined with an incredibly durable, lightweight, and highly functional product, is an excellent foundation to build from and expand into new consumer segments and distribution channels.”
Specific plans for the brand are already in the works, according to Krantzler. “We have begun updating the product line to make it more stylish and versatile, are working on a brand positioning refresh, and are planning to roll out a branded shop-in-shop concept in early 2016,” he said. In addition to further developing the independent retail channel, eCommerce is a strong and growing part of the business with significant upside, and our next push will be in select department stores and travel retail locations.”
