General Pants shares the love

 

General Pants Co. has initiated a management reshuffle to encourage best practice operations across each division of its business.

Craig King has been appointed as group general manager running both General Pants Co. and its surf operations, which include Surf Dive ‘n’ Ski, Jetty Surf and Billabong concept stores.

King was formerly the general manager of the company’s surf business and has also previously been the general manager of General Pants Co.

“We have kept them separated for quite a while,” King said. “There is some best practice across both sides of the business. So it is to maximise the scale and any best practice that is particularly working well.”

Each operation will have a divisional manager, with Jacquie Vuleta appointed to oversee General Pants Co. and the surf leadership yet to be announced.

King said a new tiered responsibility structure will see senior roles such as the heads of operations, buying, merchandising and marketing given greater control.

“Myself and that team plot the next three months, then work out what the next six months are going to look like,” he said. “[We look at] strategies for brands we want to bring in, or take out – categories that we want to blow out or shrink, just to keep the offer really potent.”

General Pants Co. recently announced its support of one of its key labels, Ksubi, following the denim brand’s administration and subsequent new ownership. It recently unveiled Ksubi window displays in 15 of its stores, which come down on May 10.

The Sydney-based company operates 75 stores nationally and has around 1000 employees.

Melinda Oliver

Read Ragtrader’s full interview with Craig King in the May 21 issue.