Eddie Bauer Plans 30-Store Expansion

The Eddie Bauer casual and outdoor apparel chain is adding 30 stores in the United States, Japan and Germany this year and at least 200 by 2000, company President Rick Fersch said.

Eddie Bauer currently has 411 stores, and expansion by the turn of the century could add as many as 400, Fersch said.

A slowdown in the retailing industry has meant relatively flat sales growth on a same-store basis for Eddie Bauer overall in the past year, but others have been hit worse, Fersch said.

“The time may be right for real estate deals with so many people going out of business,” he said.

Expansion plans this year include the Spiegel Inc. subsidiary’s first foray into Germany.

Five or six of the new stores being planned for this year are superstores with four product lines - casual clothing, dressier wear, outdoor clothing and gear, and home products.