New Boss for Filene's Basement

Filene's Basement (Boston) has named Heywood Wilansky, a retail veteran who spent 19 years at the May Department Store Cos. and later ran Bon-Ton Stores Inc., as its new ceo.

Filene's Basement's parent company, Columbus, Ohio-based Value City Department Stores Inc., said Wilansky replaced Alan Schlesinger, who resigned January 6.

Wilansky said he wants to expand Filene's Basement into new markets, and eventually spin it off as a freestanding public company. He also said Filene's Basement, which has 20 stores, just announced a new store for Atlanta and may open one more this year.

“But I would see 2004 and beyond as having a rapidly growing store base,” he said.

The company's flagship store in downtown Boston, as well as its outlets in Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC., sell off-price men's and women's apparel, home goods and accessories.