Steven Lightman, who left his post as president of Crosstown Traders in January, has been named president/CEO of Sharper Image Corp., effective April 9. He replaces chairman Jerry Levin, who has been serving as interim CEO since September 2006. Levin in turn replaced Sharper Image founder Richard Thalheimer, following months of top- and bottom-line declines.
Although Lightman has several decades of direct marketing experience, he’s less practiced in the retail side of business. Crosstown Traders operates a number of women’s apparel catalogs, including Lew Magram, Old Pueblo Traders, and Regalia, as well as the Figi’s food and gifts catalog, but not stores. Retailer Charming Shoppes bought Crosstown Traders in 2005 in part to gain a direct marketing presence and expertise. Sharper Image, which sells consumer electronics and gadgets, has 187 stores in addition to a catalog and Web division and a business-to-business unit.
Lightman became president of Arizona Mail Order Co. in 1998, after it was acquired by Fingerhut Cos. He became executive vice president of Fingerhut in 2000. In 2002 he worked with a division of JP Morgan Chase & Co. to help the latter buy the Arizona Mail Order and Figi’s catalogs from Federated Department Stores, which owned Fingerhut at the time. These catalogs became Crosstown Traders.
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