Julian Geiger

It's been a rough couple of years for the "3 A's" (Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, Aeropostale). The retailers have fallen out of favor with their core demographic — teens — resulting in declining sales and profits and, in certain cases, hits to their brand images. Teens are shifting their purchases to trendier, lower price fashion brands such as Forever 21 and H&M.

On Monday, teen clothing chain Aeropostale made what seems like a last-ditch attempt to turn around its declining sales and sinking stock. The retailer fired CEO Thomas Johnson and announced the return of former CEO Julian Geiger, who ran Aeropostale from 1996 to 2010. Geiger's more recent gig wasn't exactly a smashing success: he led Crumbs Bake Shop from 2011 through 2013, before the national cupcake chain abruptly closed all its stores and filed for Chapter 11 protection in July. The New York-based casual clothier's Chairperson Karin Hirtler-Garvey described Geiger as "an ideal choice" for the top job."

Aeropostale is reinstating a past leader as it struggles with sliding sales. The New York company said Monday that Julian Geiger, its former CEO, is taking over effective immediately. Thomas Johnson is leaving the board of directors as well as relinquishing the CEO title. Aeropostale and fellow teen stalwarts Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle Outfitters have had a difficult time turning their businesses around as mall traffic drops and shoppers’ tastes change. Aeropostale has lost money for six consecutive quarters and predicts another loss for the quarter that ended in early August.