NEW YORK, Oct 1, 2001/--- dELiA*s Corp. has named Ira Goldspiel senior vice-president and general merchandise manager of retail, replacing Patricia Waechter, who left the company to pursue other opportunities. His appointment is effective immediately, and he will report to president Andrea Weiss, who joined the company from The Limited in 2000.

Goldspiel, 39, was previously senior vice-president of merchandising and marketing for Liz Claiborne, where he handled merchandising, planning, marketing and retail stores for Laundry by Shelli Segal. He has also worked for A/X Armani Exchange, Old Navy, The Gap and Macy's.

Weiss said in a statement, "We are extremely pleased to have Ira join the dELiA*s team. His talents on both the merchandising and management fronts will be instrumental as we continue to focus on dELiA*s retail expansion. This remains an important growth driver for the company, and we are confident Ira's contributions will play a significant role in our success."

As you may have gleaned from its nightmare-to-copyeditors-everywhere name, dELiA*s caters to teenage girls. The company began selling its apparel, accessories and home furnishings through a print catalog in 1994 and later expanded to dELiAs.cOm. It now has 44 retail stores, and is focusing its efforts on this aspect of the business. Chairman and CEO Stephen Kahn recently said he sees a "250-plus store opportunity" in the company.

Goldspiel certainly has his work cut out for him, as dELiA*s plans to nearly double its retail presence in the next two years. There is no word yet on whether he will begin incorporating a heart and star into his official signature.