Executive changes at Penney, Eddie Bauer

Cataloger/retailer J.C. Penney Co. has created a new position, president/chief operating officer of stores and merchandise operations, and has hired Ken Hicks to fill it. Most recently president of Payless Shoe Source, Hicks will be response for store environment, planning and allocation, supply chain management, and coordination for the catalogs and the Website as well as for the general merchandiser's department stores.

Hicks will report to Vanessa Castagna, who was promoted to executive vice president/chairman/CEO of J.C. Penney stores, catalog, and Internet. She will continue to report to Penney chairman/CEO Allen Questrom.

Over at cataloger/retailer Eddie Bauer, Fabian Mansson has been named president/CEO. He will report to Martin Zaepfel, vice chairman/president/CEO of Eddie Bauer parent company The Spiegel Group.

Mansson was most recently executive vice president of Spray Ventures, a Swedish venture capital company. Previously he was CEO of Sweden-based retail chain Hennes & Mauritz (H&M).