Teen clothing retailer Aeropostale Inc. asked a federal judge for permission to pay up to $3.41 million in bonuses to 10 top executives as a reward for steering the company through bankruptcy protection, MarketWatch.com reported on Friday. Aeropostale lawyers told Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane in court papers that the 10 executives wouldn’t get the money unless the retailer successfully gets out of bankruptcy and meets a sales revenue goal. They also proposed to pay up to $1.45 million in bonuses to 41 hard-to-replace workers, which would encourage them to remain on board until Oct. 25. Aeropostale’s roughly 800 stores filed for chapter 11 protection in May, following a path laid out by other mall-based cheap retailers who have been plunged into trouble by changing consumer tastes and competition from newer fast-fashion chains. Soon after, company officials began closing more than 150 money-losing stores.
