Controversial CEO Federica Marchionni has departed from Lands’ End after just 19 months at the helm of the apparel retailer. 

And as the Dodgeville, WI-based seller of casual clothing searches for a new boss yet again (Lands’ End has had six CEOS since 2002!), this seems an opportune time to consider the state of the company.

The Italian-born, New York-living, Marchionni caused a stir in the retail world by trying to make Lands’ End more attractive to younger, hipper and more affluent customers. Just a few months ago, she introduced reporters to her plans for the company’s holiday lineup, which included $600 jackets, cashmere throws and artisanal cheeses (yes, cheeses.)

Given Lands’ End reputation for sensible and low-priced clothes, a catalog of cashmere and cheese might seem a bit too much of a stretch. And perhaps it was.

But a look at data from Checkout Tracking shows that there may be an opportunity for the company to sell higher-priced items than it has in the past.

  • 55 percent of the buyers of Lands’ End apparel have household incomes of more than $100,000 a year — well above the 31 percent of all apparel buyers.

More troubling, however, is that while Lands’ End does have affluent buyers, it does not have young buyers. 

  • Just 13 percent of Lands’ End buyers are in the coveted 25-34 age group.. Folks 35 and older, on the other hand, over index for Lands’ End buys.

For more details, take a look at the chart below:

DemographicsTotal BuyersLands’ End BuyersIndex to Total Buyers
Age   
13-2419%8%39
25-3416%13%79
35-4415%23%150
45+49%57%116
Household Income   
<$25,00017%5%30
$25,000-$49,99921%12%55
$50,000-$74,99918%17%98
$75,000-$99,99913%11%81
$100,000+31%55%179

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