Eddie Bauer Plans To Expand Headquarters -- $2.8 Million Paid For Site In Redmond

Eddie Bauer is hatching plans for a major Eastside growth spurt.

The clothing retailer, which has expanded rapidly in recent years, has bought 6.5 acres adjacent to its woodsy Redmond headquarters complex, adding about 50 percent to its land holdings there.

The property will be used for new buildings to house Eddie Bauer's growing staff, said Marsha Savery, advertising vice president. Savery would not confirm reports that the project would entail three new buildings totaling 180,000 square feet, but she did say construction was "more than a year away."

Spokeswoman Karen Peck said the Callison Partnership will be the architect, but she would not estimate the project's total cost. Real estate sources said Eddie Bauer paid Seattle investor Mike Mastro $2.8 million for the property.

Eddie Bauer's headquarters currently consist of about 10 buildings on 13 acres near the Redmond-Bellevue border. About 1,000 employees work there.

Signs of growth have been popping up regularly for the past two years at Eddie Bauer.

In 1991, the company initiated its All Week Long and Home Collection stores, offering new lines of merchandise previously available only by catalog. This summer the company said it would add 40 to 50 new stores a year, including its first stores in Japan. Soon after that the company's parent, Chicago-based Spiegel Inc., said it would start selling Eddie Bauer apparel through two new home-shopping networks to compete with QVC.

Best known for its leisure wear, Eddie Bauer also has launched a line of clothing for the office.

Eddie Bauer contributes about half of Spiegel's $2.2 billion annual sales.

Spiegel, which acquired Eddie Bauer in 1988 for $261 million, has helped pay for Eddie Bauer's expansion. The Midwest parent company may soon be flush with cash. Spiegel is in the midst of a secondary stock offering in which it plans to offer between 3.6 million and 4 million shares.

The offering won't be priced until mid-December.