Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> January 3, 2003
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
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.
