Burlington Stores, Inc.
Leadership History
4 leaders · 1972 to present
Michael O'Sullivan is the CEO of Burlington, in the role since 2019. The first chief executive was Monroe Milstein, from 1972.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael O'Sullivan | Chief Executive Officer | 2019 | Present | 7 |
| Tom Kingsbury | President and Chief Executive Officer | 2008 | 2019 | 11 |
| Mark Nesci | Chief Executive Officer | 2006 | 2008 | 2 |
| Monroe Milstein | Founder and Chief Executive Officer | 1972 | 2006 | 34 |
Burlington, known as Burlington Coat Factory until 2013, is one of the three big U.S. off-price chains alongside TJX and Ross Stores. Shoppers come for branded women's, men's and children's clothing, shoes, accessories, baby gear in the Baby Depot department, beauty, toys and home decor, all priced below department stores. Stock changes constantly because it is bought from whatever surplus brands and retailers have, so the store works as a treasure hunt: an item on the rack this week may be gone the next. Coats remain a signature category inside a year-round assortment. The massive off-price retail giant was founded in Burlington, New Jersey, originally specializing in winter coats before aggressively expanding into a highly lucrative, multi-billion-dollar discount department store empire.
Chief Executive Officer
2019 – Present
7 years (current)
O'Sullivan joined from Ross Stores, where he spent 16 years and finished as president and COO, and became CEO around September 16, 2019. He ended e-commerce in March 2020, steered the company through pandemic closures and introduced Burlington 2.0: leaner inventories, buying closer to need and a smaller store prototype. Under him revenue grew from $7.29 billion in fiscal 2019 to $11.57 billion in fiscal 2025.
President and Chief Executive Officer
2008 – 2019
11 years
A former Kohl's senior executive, Kingsbury was hired by Bain Capital in December 2008 to revamp buying, inventory management and the supply chain. He led the October 2013 IPO, added the chairman title in 2014 and stepped down as CEO in September 2019, staying on as executive chairman for a transition period.
Chief Executive Officer
2006 – 2008
2 years
A 37-year Burlington veteran, Nesci became CEO in 2006 after Bain Capital took the company private for about $2.06 billion. He retired in December 2008, remaining an equity investor and senior adviser to the board.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
1972 – 2006
34 years
Milstein opened the first Burlington Coat Factory in Burlington, New Jersey, in 1972, broadened it from discount coats into year-round family apparel, shoes, baby and home goods, and took it public in 1983. His family controlled the company until the 2006 sale to Bain Capital.
Burlington's core shoppers are lower- and middle-income households, so rising living costs hit it directly. In August 2026 management said a spike in gas prices was squeezing those customers, and its third-quarter sales outlook disappointed investors. Tariffs are a second risk because much of its merchandise is imported; the company received $55 million in tariff refunds in the second quarter of fiscal 2026 and said it would spend them on lower prices rather than keep them as profit. Burlington is also smaller than TJX and Ross Stores, which compete for the same closeout supply. Its fast store growth is capital-heavy: capital spending was about $1.06 billion in fiscal 2025, free cash flow about $172 million, and total debt including lease liabilities about $6.0 billion at January 31, 2026.
Michael O'Sullivan has been CEO of Burlington Stores since September 2019. He previously spent 16 years at Ross Stores, finishing as president and chief operating officer.
He ended e-commerce in March 2020 and introduced Burlington 2.0: leaner store inventories, buying closer to need and smaller stores. Revenue grew from $7.29 billion in fiscal 2019 to $11.57 billion in fiscal 2025.
Tom Kingsbury, a former Kohl's executive, was Burlington's president and CEO from December 2008 to September 2019. He led the 2013 IPO, became chairman in 2014 and served as executive chairman during the handover to O'Sullivan.
Mark Nesci, a 37-year company veteran, became CEO in 2006 after the Bain Capital buyout and retired in December 2008, when Tom Kingsbury succeeded him.
Kristin Wolfe is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, responsible for financial planning, investor relations and treasury.
Jennifer Vecchio is Group President and Chief Merchandising Officer, directing the buying organization and assortment across apparel and home.
Monroe Milstein founded Burlington Coat Factory in 1972 and led it until the 2006 sale to Bain Capital, building it from a single New Jersey coat outlet into a national chain.
When all stores closed in March 2020, management raised new financing to protect liquidity, cleared aged inventory when stores reopened and kept leaner inventories afterward. Fiscal 2020 ended with a $216.5 million net loss, followed by a rebound in fiscal 2021.
Michael O'Sullivan serves as CEO. He previously spent over a decade as a top executive at Ross Stores, bringing his massive off-price retail expertise to aggressively accelerate Burlington's growth.
Compare executive leadership tenures and strategic transitions
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