Norman
Wachle•.
fit's been nice to
see so many old
Mends."

Dowordie sale will decide
the future of Kosins Clothes,
a retailing institution.

STEVE STEIN STAFF WRITER

Kosins Clothes to its employees didn't help
matters.
An employee stock ownership plan
(ESOP), one of two in the country involv-
ing a men's clothier, transferred ownership
from Ben Kosins, Harry's brother and for-
mer co-owner, to the 97 employees.
In that deal, the employees agreed to
give up 10 percent of their annual wages
until 1998 to finance the purchase of the
business.
Mr. Wachter, who became CEO of
Kosins Clothes in 1990, added the presi-
dent's title when the ownership change
was made.
"I want to emphasize that the employ-

forecast the future. But I feel the people he
trained who are still with us are equally
as competent."
Ben Kosins, 74, points to his brother's
death and the ESOP as catalysts for Kosins
Clothes' fall. But he's confident the sale
"will pull us out of the hole."
"Harry was a great public relations man
and one of the best buyers in the country,"
Ben Kosins said. "Manufacturers would
take Harry to Italy with them to pick out
fabrics. That's how much they respected
him."
Ben Kosins' forte during Kosins Clothes'
heyday was his sales skill. He's still at it,
working the floor at Kosins Clothes a few
hours each day during the sale.
The Harry Kosins-Chuck Daly connec-
tion generated continuous publicity for
Kosins Clothes, especially when the Pis-
tons won back-to-back NBA championships
in 1989 and 1990.
Mr. Daly, who was inducted into the
Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year,
remembers Harry Kosins as "a fun guy, a
real character who had a flair for the busi-
ness and an unusual taste in clothes. He

ees' purchase has not been a major cause
of our problems," Mr. Wachter said. "At the
time, it saved the business. Unfortunate-
ly, a number of factors - including the re-
cession - hurt our projected amount of
revenues and we went into a decline.
'We've had quality merchandise, but we
haven't been able to keep up the quantity.
The best way to characterize the purchase
plan is to say we're still suffering from
growing pains."
Mr. Wachter said Harry Kosins' death
had a major impact on the company.
"If Harry were still around, the business
wouldn't have been sold," Mr. Wachter said.
"He was a merchandising maven who could LAST CHANCE page 58