In an easy transition, Greg Unis has become chief executive officer of J.McLaughlin after serving as its interim CEO since March and a member of the company’s board of directors since January.

A 25-year-veteran of the retail and fashion industry, Unis most recently served as president of the Victoria’s Secret and Pink divisions of Victoria’s Secret & Co. Before joining Victoria’s Secret in 2016, he held senior executive roles at Coach, Brooks Brothers and Gap Inc. For Unis, who has an MBA from Columbia Business School, J.McLaughlin marks his first CEO role.

Unis succeeds Mary Ellen Coyne who in May this year became president and CEO of J.Jill. He will be working closely with Kevin McLaughlin, J.McLaughlin’s chief creative officer and cofounder of the 48-year-old brand.

“Kevin and I spent a bunch of time together before January, and then I got to know most of the senior team. So the transition was pretty seamless,” Unis told WWD during an interview on Friday. “Alongside Kevin and our incredible team, we’ll scale the business, and drive creativity across all areas — product, marketing and customer experience. We’ve put together a strategic plan for the next three to five years. It’s a comprehensive, long-range plan in terms of brand, product, marketing, the customer, stores and digital, that gives us a map of where we’re working towards.”

Unis spoke of “amplifying who we are as as a brand — that’s the starting point and then it’s about bringing together talent, [forming] new partnerships and collaborations, with people or brands that have a kind of a shared DNA, and connect with our kind of customer, but just in a broader way, in product categories that we’re not in. There’s a range of things we’re thinking about it, always with two things in mind. Would it be capturing a new customer, or would it be about entering into categories you’re not already in?”

The first project that Unis and McLaughlin worked on is the J.McLaughlin “Summertime” temporary shop at 9 South Main Street in Southampton, N.Y., just a few doors from the permanent J.McLaughlin shop at 2 Jobs Lane. They collaborated with interior decorator Alvise Orsini to give the inside of the store its look. Orsini, the husband of former Neiman Marcus Group Geoffroy van Raemdonck, also created a Murano glassware collection for the shop.

“The Summertime shop gives you a sense of where the brand is going,” said Unis. “It has been the number-one store in our store fleet. It’s bringing in a new customer.”

The 500-square-foot shop resembles a 1950s Venetian beach cabana, with a tented ceiling, and offers vintage J.McLaughlin designs, limited-edition summer styles and a pretty even balance of men’s and women’s items, whereas generally J.McLaughlin stores feel more focused on women’s.

“This whole idea of immersive, experiential retail is so important in today’s world and such a natural for our brand,” Unis said. The Summertime concept, he said, “represents an idea that we think has legs.” The shop will stay open through the summer, but won’t disappear. “We’re working on what to do next with the space. It’s a work in progress,” said Unis.

“J.McLaughlin has always had a strong presence in resort retailing,” McLaughlin said. “It’s where we do a particularly good job. Having a smaller footprint focused on that moment when people are vacationing or away from their primary residence, is an exciting one, and it may put up a lot of possibilities for us as we develop exactly what the product mix is for this concept.”

Founded in 1977 by brothers Kevin and Jay McLaughlin, the J.McLaughlin brand is known for its novelty prints, color, classic but modern styles, and compact boutiques, typically 1,200 square feet to 1,500 square feet. The brand’s stores are situated in affluent communities such as Manhattan’s Upper East Side; Greenwich, Conn.; Bedford, N.Y.; Palm Beach, Fla., as well as the Hamptons. With about 200 shops in all, J.McLaughlin is most concentrated along the East Coast.

Rather than aggressively opening additional stores, “We’re mostly focused on making the most of the stores that we have today,” said Unis. “In communities around the country, I’ve visited a bunch of our stores. We’re on the Main Streets in the center of these towns [capturing the neighborhood feel and integrating into those communities]. That’s kind of unique.

“When you look at where our stores are, it tells you a lot about the customer,” Unis said. “I would classify our customers as being discerning, sophisticated and living a lovely life.” Rather than suggesting a targeted age range or demographic, he said, “We are more about capturing a mindset than we are an age.”

Through its nearly five decades in business, the J.McLaughlin look initially was tagged as “preppy chic” for an affluent mature set, though lately it’s more associated with modern American classic sportswear, and casual elegance. “It’s an authentic brand. It is very clear in its positioning,” Unis said. “It’s also a brand that doesn’t have outlet stores. We are not a discounter.”

“Greg very much gets the essence of the brand — what makes it special, the nuance, the positioning of the product, the distribution with the stores, the controlled distribution,” McLaughlin said. “Having Greg here, for me, and for a lot of the folks I’ve worked with for a number of years here, is a chance to refocus on what our strengths really are, and with his input and direction, just take a moment to remember the things that we do so well and to focus on those things.”

Steve Moore, partner at the Los Angeles-based Brentwood Associates private equity firm which has owned J.McLaughlin for 10 years, said: “Greg’s seamless transition from board member to CEO is a testament to his leadership, deep appreciation for product and design, and broad operational expertise. We’re confident Greg will drive the business forward while honoring the brand’s heritage and unique identity.”

Brentwood has an eclectic portfolio including the Boston Proper fashion brand; Orangetheory fitness centers; Hissho Sushi, which operates sushi bars and kiosks in grocery stores, schools and other locations; the Blaze Pizza restaurant chain; Lazy Dog restaurants, and the Pacifica Beauty vegan beauty brand.