Lorna Nagler leading Bealls Department Stores into 100th year

BRADENTON -- Lorna Nagler had to leave some of her cold weather wardrobe sensibilities aside when Bealls came calling.

The Milwaukee native and former chief executive officer of Plymouth, Mass., retailer Christopher & Banks has helped steer Bealls Department Stores into a Florida-focused mission since her arrival in 2011 as president of the department stores division.

"Walking in the door and being an iconic retailer, we hadn't kept up with our customers' demands," Nagler said

in an interview inside Bealls' Manatee Avenue location. "The journey started with, how do we update Bealls? How do we keep what's special about Bealls special, but how do we innovate and give newness to our customers?"

Nagler's expertise in merchandising from her days with Lane Bryant, Catherine's Stores and even Kmart has her thinking about presentation, new selection and relevance at Bealls. She's thrilled she is helping to lead Bealls in its 100th year and credits the family's vision for its sustainability.

"What they do is really all about what's right. What's right for the customer, what's right for the business. They really take a great interest," Nagler said. "It's not about Wall Street, it's about Main Street, and what's doing right for the customer."

Specialist, not generalist

The department carries a wide range of goods for customers 8 to 80, Nagler says. It balances the snowbird purchases with those by Florida natives. Regardless, she's honed in on hot brands and creating exclusive lines for Bealls.

"The Bealls customer is a wide range, which is great, but they share one thing: They're passionate about the outdoor lifestyle," Nagler said. "They love the unique and differentiative assortment they can find at Bealls."

Tervis Tumbler is played up big at Bealls now. Under Nagler's watch, brands have their own showcase now, almost like a mini storefront for brands like Salt Life, Guy Harvey, Reel Legends and Columbia. Surf and golf brands are becoming a bigger play in the men's department, and a bigger variety of Nike activewear is now on the shelves.

Even more new brands are coming. The Life Is Good line of clothes, based in Boston, was just added to Bealls before Christmas, and by Father's Day Bealls will carry Under Armour, Nagler said.

In women's lines, no success has been as big in the company's history as Leoma Lovegrove -- the Matlatcha Island artist who's gone from a test trial of T-shirts in 2013 to having easily a hundred different items in several departments.

"As I learned the Florida lifestyle and I knew color was such an important part, my quest was how do we find an artist that we can maybe, bring to life?" Nagler said. Merchandising employee Ralph Hauze made that initial contact with Lovegrove and the two sides have launched a runaway presence in the stores.

R.M. "Bob" Beall II, chairman of Bealls Inc., credited Nagler for sprucing up the company's fashion offerings.

"She has moved us more in a fashion-oriented direction, a more up-to-date direction that is taking us out of the Kohl's, Penneys' competition and moving us a little above that, but with still very affordable pricing," Beall said. "She has a tremendous fashion sense. A really terrific fashion sense."

Just because Bealls is ordering Under Armour and has a successful brand like Leoma Lovegrove doesn't mean customers will buy what's on the label. Much like Macy's, Bealls is looking to make sure its inventory is targeted for each store and community.

"We've been on a journey to localize our assortment, so we've been buying a little bit differently by store location to edit our assortments, so we can really make things bigger and amplify the things that we want to be," Nagler said. "And really take the approach that Bealls is a specialist and not a generalist."

Bealls future

What Bealls Department Stores will look like in the future could have an answer soon.

Nagler foresees Bealls Department stores getting an update and a refresher, potentially reorganizing products in the store. As online becomes more popular, the department stores will likely be closer to 30,000 square feet if they open new ones. Bealls Department Stores could one day open in Georgia, Alabama and other states with cities on the water, according to company executives.

Nagler has been tasked with leading a new specialty store by Bealls called Bunulu, focusing on men's and women's clothing for beach and outdoor lifestyles.

"My inspiration was, what can we take that we're good at and really leverage some of that expertise and take it on a different avenue," Nagler said.

The first of three stores will open in the fall and feature only brand names to start, looking to attract an affluent, younger customer.

"What the store will talk to is what I call that 'Forever 51' -- that youth-minded consumer, who's going to continually be more active and exploit the wonderful things Florida has," she said.

How long Nagler will be in charge of Bunulu is uncertain, but she has a small launch team that will carry through. Bealls Inc. hopes to make Bunulu its own division with its own president, said Steve Knopik, chief executive officer for Bealls.

This story was originally published March 8, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Lorna Nagler leading Bealls Department Stores into 100th year ."