Destination XL names Harvey S. Kanter as next president and chief executive officer

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Feb 20, 2019

After months of searching, men's big and tall apparel retailer Destination XL Group, Inc. has found a new chief executive officer, naming Harvey S. Kanter as its new president, CEO, and a member of its board. 

Kanter will serve as advisor to the acting CEO, David Levin, until April 1, 2019, at which point he will assume the full responsibilities of his new role. He began working with Destination XL on February 19, 2019.

Over the course of his career, Kanter has gained experience in leading executive teams, driving strategy, growing profitability and creating shareholder value for consumer-centric experiential brands. Prior to joining Destination XL, Kanter most recently served as the president, CEO and chairman of the board of online fine jewelry retailer Blue Nile, Inc., where he repositioned the company’s strategic direction and boosted its sales growth. As he takes on his new role with Destination XL, Kanter will continue to serve as chairman of the board of Blue Nile. 

Kanter's other career milestones include serving as president and CEO of outdoor retailer Moosejaw, where he drove a successful turnaround that led to the acquisition of the retailer by Walmart, as well as serving in a variety of executive positions at companies such as Michael's Stores, Inc. and Eddie Bauer, Inc.  

“[We] are very impressed with Harvey’s track record of creating shareholder value and his digital experience, as well as his strategic and operational expertise," said John Kyees, Destination XL's chairman of the board, in a release. "We are confident that his consumer-focused mindset, passion for omni-channel retail and deep understanding of the new economy will successfully steer the DXL concept through its next phase of growth."

The newest addition to the Destination XL executive suite comes as the company has been seeing a promising start to the year, having recently been selected as the provider of men's big and tall sizes for Amazon Essentials.