Justice hires Brian Lynch to be their president

Believe it or not, despite less than stellar sales lately, Justice was once a very popular brand among teens. It’s no secret that the brand has been doing less than stellar lately, so, they decided the most appropriate thing to do was shake things up a bit. The brand has named Brian Lynch their new President, with his main challenge being to reverse the retailer’s declining sales.

Lynch comes from Ann Inc., the parent company of Ann Taylor. He left the brand last year amid their streamlining efforts. Prior to working for Ann Inc., Lynch held positions at Gap Inc., Learning Smith Inc., and The Walt Disney Co. He will be succeeding Michael Rayden.

Ascena Retail Group Inc., the parent company of Justice saw a 73 percent drop in net earnings for the quarter that ended on January 24th. In regards to some of the problems surrounded Justice, David Jaffe, Ascena’s President and CEO told Women’s Wear Daily, “There was a little too much inventory and discounts were too heavy. We are looking forward to Brian coming in and helping to reposition the brand and take it to greater levels of performance. He’s got a very strong team below him. We just needed that leadership spark.”

While there might be a future for Justice, its counterpart Brothers won’t be so lucky. Earlier this year, the brand announced it would be shuttering the line which is sold online and in a fifth of Justice stores to focus more on their girls’ line. Brothers only represents less than one percent of the business for Ascena retail group, who also owns Dress Barn, Lane Bryant, and Maurices. With Justice being in such an intense transitional period they needed just the right man for the job, and given his years of experience in various retail roles, Lynch looks like the perfect candidate for the job, so there is hope for Justice yet.