Rue21 CEO and chairman Michael Appel departs company

Rue21 is out its chief executive. The U.S.-based fast fashion brand today announced that Michael Appel will no longer serve as either CEO or chairman of the Board. He had been with the company for two and a half years and will now return to his consulting practice.

The company thanked Appel in a press statement for his time with the company and announced John Fleming as interim CEO and Scott D. Vogel as chairman.

Fleming has been a member of the Rue21 Board since October 2017 and has held executive positions at Dayton Hudson, Walmart and Uniqlo, along with having served as an advisor and Board member for StitchFix. He currently serves on the Boards of Bed Bath and Beyond, Visual Comfort & Company and Untuckit.

"Contrary to the view that the apocalypse of retail is imminent, this is an exciting time to build relationships and serve customers," Fleming commented. "Given the momentum we have at rue21, I'm excited by the opportunity to accelerate our business by modernizing our model and delivering value to our customers by building a seamless and personalized experience."