-----BEGIN PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE----- Proc-Type: 2001,MIC-CLEAR Originator-Name: webmaster@www.sec.gov Originator-Key-Asymmetric: MFgwCgYEVQgBAQICAf8DSgAwRwJAW2sNKK9AVtBzYZmr6aGjlWyK3XmZv3dTINen TWSM7vrzLADbmYQaionwg5sDW3P6oaM5D3tdezXMm7z1T+B+twIDAQAB MIC-Info: RSA-MD5,RSA, TthLOUihkS7bX30WM9GNCv7A+oTJYThmpOmHANW9H79ybqrUAHF4yHuXePLwdcDt CJj5sWN8HQpsfAep9F2Fhw== 0000950123-99-010532.txt : 19991129 0000950123-99-010532.hdr.sgml : 19991129 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0000950123-99-010532 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: S-8 PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 4 FILED AS OF DATE: 19991124 EFFECTIVENESS DATE: 19991124 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: HANOVER DIRECT INC CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000320333 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: RETAIL-CATALOG & MAIL-ORDER HOUSES [5961] IRS NUMBER: 138053260 STATE OF INCORPORATION: NV FISCAL YEAR END: 1227 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-8 SEC ACT: SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-91687 FILM NUMBER: 99764586 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 1500 HARBOR BLVD CITY: WEEHAWKEN STATE: NJ ZIP: 07087 BUSINESS PHONE: 2018653800 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 1500 HARBOR BLVD CITY: WEEHAWKEN STATE: NJ ZIP: 07087 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: HORN & HARDART CO /NV/ DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19920703 S-8 1 HANOVER DIRECT, INC. 1 As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 23, 1999 Registration No. 333-______________ SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM S-8 REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 HANOVER DIRECT, INC. -------------------- (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter) DELAWARE 13-0853260 -------- ---------- (State or Other Jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer Identification Incorporation or Organization) Number) 1500 HARBOR BOULEVARD WEEHAWKEN, NEW JERSEY 07087 --------------------------- (Address of Principal Executive Offices ) (Zip Code) 1999 STOCK OPTION PLAN FOR DIRECTORS ------------------------------------ (Full Title of the Plan) SARAH HEWITT, ESQ. BROWN RAYSMAN MILLSTEIN FELDER & STEINER LLP 120 WEST 45TH STREET NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10036 ------------------------ (Name and Address of Agent For Service) (212) 944-1515 -------------- Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent for Service 2 CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE ================================================================================
Title Of Securities Proposed Proposed Proposed Amount Of To Be Registered Maximum Amount Maximum Maximum Registration Fee To Be Registered Offering Price Per Aggregate Share (1) Offering Price (1) - -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common Stock, 700,000 $3.34375 $2,340,625 $650.69 $.66 2/3 Par Value - -----------------------------
(1) The price is estimated pursuant to Rule 457(h) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee and is the product resulting from multiplying 700,000, the number of additional shares registered by this registration statement as to which options may be granted under the 1999 Stock Option Plan for Directors, by $3.34375, the average of the high and low prices of Hanover Direct, Inc. Common Stock as reported on the American Stock Exchange on November 22, 1999. 3 PART I INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS In accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the documents containing the information called for in Part I of Form S-8 will be sent or given to individuals who are eligible to participate in our 1999 Stock Option Plan for Directors. Such information is not being filled with or included in this Form S-8. PART II INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE The following documents filed by Hanover Direct, Inc. (the "Company") are incorporated herein by reference: (i) The Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 26, 1998. (ii) The Company's Amendment to the Annual Report on Form 10-K/A1 for the fiscal year ended December 26, 1998. (iii) The Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 27, 1999, June 27, 1999 and September 25, 1999. (iv) The description of the Company's common stock contained in the latest prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act that contains audited financial statements for the Company's latest fiscal year for which such statements have been filed, which prospectus is dated July 19, 1996 (Registration No. 333-2743). (v) The Company's Proxy Statement dated April 16, 1999. In addition to the foregoing, all documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange of 1934, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment indicating that all of the securities offered hereunder have been sold or deregistering all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document that is also incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement. ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITITES Incorporated by reference to the description of the Common Stock of the Company contained in the 424(b) Prospectus described in Item 3(iv) above. ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL The validity of the shares being offered hereby and certain other legal matters in connection with the offering of such securities will be passed upon for the Company by Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP, securities counsel to the Company. 4 Monte E. Wetzler, a retired partner, and Sarah Hewitt, a partner, in Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP, the Company's counsel, are the Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the Company, respectively. ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS Except as prohibited by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, every director and officer of the Company shall be entitled as a matter of right to be indemnified by the Company against reasonable expenses and any liability paid or incurred by such person in connection with any actual or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding, civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other, whether brought by or in the right of the Company or otherwise, in which he or she may be involved, as a party or otherwise, by reason of such person being or having been a director or officer of the Company or by reason of the fact that such person is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee, fiduciary or other representative of the Company or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other entity (such claim, action, suit or proceeding hereinafter being referred to as an "action"); provided, however, that no such right of indemnification shall exist with respect to an action brought by a director or officer against the Company other than in a suit for indemnification as provided hereunder. Such indemnification shall include the right to have expenses incurred by such person in connection with an action paid in advance by the Company prior to final disposition of such action, subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by law. As used herein, "expense" shall include, among other things, fees and expenses of counsel selected by such person, and "liability" shall include amounts of judgments, excise taxes, fines and penalties, and amounts paid in settlement. ITEM 7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED Not Applicable. ITEM 8. EXHIBITS 4.1 1999 Stock Option Plan for Directors, dated as of August 5, 1999 5 Opinion of Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP 23.1 Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP 23.2 Consent of Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP (included in Exhibit 5) 24 Power of Attorney (included in signature page) ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS (a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes: (1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: (i) To include any prospectus required by section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; (ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or together, represent a fundamental change in the information in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low 5 or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the "Calculation of Registration Fee" table in the effective registration statement; and (iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-3, Form S-8 or Form F-3 and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement. (2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. (3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering. (b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the registrant's annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer, or controlling person in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer, or controlling person of the registrant in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. 6 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Weehawken, New Jersey on the 23rd day of November, 1999. HANOVER DIRECT, INC. By: /s/ Rakesh K. Kaul ------------------------------- Name: Rakesh K. Kaul Title: President and Chief Executive Officer POWER OF ATTORNEY KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each individual whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Brian C. Harriss and Ralph Bulle, or either of them, the undersigned's true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting said attorney-in-fact and agent, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as the undersigned might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact and agent or either of them, or their or his or her substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the 23rd day of November, 1999:
SIGNATURE TITLE /s/ Alan G. Quasha - -------------------------------------- Chairman of the Board, Director Alan G. Quasha /s/ Rakesh K. Kaul - -------------------------------------- President, Chief Executive Officer and Director Rakesh K. Kaul /s/ Brian C. Harriss - -------------------------------------- Senior Vice President and Brian C. Harriss Chief Financial Officer /s/ Ralph Destino - -------------------------------------- Ralph Destino Director /s/ J. David Hakman - -------------------------------------- J. David Hakman Director
7 /s/ June R. Klein - -------------------------------------- June R. Klein Director /s/ Kenneth Krushel - -------------------------------------- Kenneth Krushel Director - -------------------------------------- Theodore H. Kruttschnitt Director /s/ Shailesh J. Mehta - -------------------------------------- Shailesh J. Mehta Director - -------------------------------------- Jan P. du Plessis Director /s/ Howard M.S. Tanner - -------------------------------------- Howard M.S. Tanner Director /s/ Robert F. Wright - -------------------------------------- Robert F. Wright Director
8 INDEX TO EXHIBITS
EXHIBIT NO. DESCRIPTION 4.1 1999 Stock Option Plan for Directors, dated as of August 5, 1999 5 Opinion of Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP 23.1 Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP 23.2 Consent of Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP (included in Exhibit 5) 24 Power of Attorney (included in signature page)
EX-4.1 2 1999 STOCK OPTION PLAN FOR DIRECTORS 1 EXHIBIT 4.1 HANOVER DIRECT, INC. 1999 STOCK OPTION PLAN FOR DIRECTORS 1. PURPOSE. The purpose of the 1999 Stock Option Plan for Directors (the "Plan") is to advance the interests of Hanover Direct, Inc. (the "Company") by providing non-employee directors of the Company, through the grant of options to purchase shares of Common Stock (as hereinafter defined), with a larger personal and financial interest in the Company's success. 2. ADMINISTRATION. The Plan shall be administered by a committee (the "Committee") consisting of at least two members of the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board"). The Committee shall have full power and authority to interpret the Plan, to establish such rules and regulations as it deems appropriate for the administration of the Plan, and to take such other action as it deems necessary or desirable for the administration of the Plan. The Committee's interpretation and construction of any provision of the Plan or the terms of any Option (as hereinafter defined) shall be conclusive and binding on all parties. 3. PARTICIPANTS. Each director of the Company who is neither an employee of the Company nor an Ineligible Director (as hereinafter defined)(a "Non-Employee Director") shall be eligible to be granted options to purchase shares of Common Stock ("Options") under the Plan. An "Ineligible Director" means any director who is a nonresident alien. Nothing contained in the Plan, or in any Option granted pursuant to the Plan, shall confer upon any director any right to the continuation of his or her directorship or limit in any way the right of the Company to terminate his or her directorship at any time. 4. THE SHARES. Options may be granted from time to time under the Plan for the purchase, in the aggregate, of not more than 700,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.66-2/3 per share, of the Company ("Common Stock") (subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 13). Such shares of Common Stock may be set aside out of the authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock not reserved for any other purpose or out of previously issued shares acquired by the Company and held in its treasury. Any shares of Common Stock which, by reason of the termination or expiration of an Option or otherwise, are no longer subject to purchase pursuant to an Option granted under the Plan, may again be subjected to an Option under the Plan. 5. OPTION GRANTS. Options shall be evidenced by option agreements which shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Plan and such other terms and conditions not inconsistent herewith as the Committee may approve. (a) INITIAL APPOINTMENT AWARDS. As of the effective date of his or her initial appointment or election to the Board (or, if later, the effective date of the Plan)(the "Initial Appointment Date"), a Non-Employee Director shall receive a grant of an Option to purchase 50,000 shares of Common Stock (subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 13). (b) ANNUAL SERVICE AWARDS. On each Award Date (as hereinafter defined) occurring after a Non-Employee Director's Initial Appointment Date, such Non-Employee Director shall be granted, provided he or she continues to serve as a member of the Board on such date, an Option 2 to purchase of 10,000 shares of Common Stock (subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 13). An "Award Date" means August 4, 2000 or August 3, 2001. 6. OPTION PRICE. The price (the "Option Price") at which shares of Common Stock may be purchased upon the exercise of an Option granted under the Pan shall be the fair market value of such shares on the date of grant of such Option. Solely for purposes of this Section 6, the fair market value of a share of Common Stock shall be deemed to be the average of the closing prices of the Common Stock on the Initial Appointment Date or Award Date, as the case may be,the 10 trading days immediately preceding such date, and the 10 trading days immediately following such date. 7. TERM AND EXERCISABILITY OF OPTIONS. Options shall be granted for terms of 10 years. Subject to the other provisions of the Plan relating to exercisability of Options, the participant shall have the cumulative right as of the first, second, and third anniversaries of the date of grant, to purchase up to one-third, two-thirds, and 100%, respectively, of the Option Shares. 8. TERMINATION OF DIRECTORSHIP. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 8, no person may exercise an Option more than three months after the first date on which he or she ceases to be a director of the Company. If a participant ceases to be a director of the Company by reason of death or disability, any Options held by him or her may be exercised within 12 months after the date he or she ceases to be a director of the Company. In no event may an Option be exercised after the expiration of the term of such Option. 9. PAYMENT. Full payment of the purchase price for shares of Common Stock purchased upon the exercise, in whole or part, of an Option granted under the Plan shall be made at the time of such exercise. The Option Price may be paid in cash or in shares of Common Stock valued at their fair market value on the date of exercise. Alternatively, an Option may be exercised in whole or in part by delivering a properly executed exercise notice together with irrevocable instructions to a broker to deliver promptly to the Company the amount of sale or loan proceeds necessary to pay the Option Price, and such other documents as the Committee may determine. No shares of Common Stock shall be issued or transferred to a participant until full payment therefor has been made, and a partcipant shall have none of the rights of a stockholder until shares are issued or transferred to him or her. 10. NONTRANSFERABILITY. Options granted under the Plan shall not be transferable other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and during a participant's lifetime, shall be exercisable only by him or her. Nothwithstanding the foregoing, a participant may transfer any Nonqualified Stock Option granted under the Plan to the participant's spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, and/or siblings or to one or more trusts for the benefit of such family members, if the agreement evidencing such Option so provides and the participant does not receive any consideration for the transfer. Any Option so transferred shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions that applied to such Option immediately prior to its transfer (except that such transferred Option shall not be further transferable by the transferee during the transferee's lifetime). -2- 3 11. ISSUANCE OF SHARES. If a participant so requests, shares purchased upon the exercise of an Option may be issued or transferred in the name of the participant and another person jointly with the right of survivorship. 12. STATUS OF OPTION. Options granted under the Plan are nonstatutory options not qualifying as incentive stock options under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. 13. CHANGES IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE, ETC. In the event of any change in the outstanding Common Stock by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, combination of shares, recapitalization, or other similar change in the capital stock of the Company, or in the event of the merger or consolidation of the Company into or with any other corporation or the reorganization of the Company, there shall be substituted for or added to each share of Common Stock theretofore appropriated for the purpose of the Plan or thereafter subject, or which may become subject, to an Option under the Plan, the number and kind of shares of stock or other securities into which each outstanding share of Common Stock shall be so changed or for which each such share shall be exchanged or to which each such share shall be entitled, as the case may be. Outstanding Options shall be appropriately amended as to price and other terms in a manner consistent with the aforementioned adjustment to the shares of Common Stock subject to the Plan. Fractional shares resulting from any adjustment in Options pursuant to this Section 13 may be settled in cash or otherwise as the Committee shall determine. Notice of any adjustments shall be given by the Company to each holder of an Option which shall have been adjusted and such adjustment (whether or not such notice is given) shall be effective and binding for all purposes of this Plan. 14. EFFECTIVE DATE AND TERMINATION OF PLAN. The Plan shall become effective on the date of its adoption by the Board or duly authorized committee thereof, subject to the ratification of the Plan by the affirmative vote or consent of holders of a majority of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock. The Plan shall terminate 10 years from the date of its adoption or such earlier date as the Board or such committee may determine. Any Option outstanding under the Plan at the time of its termination shall remain in effect in accordance with its terms and conditions and those of the Plan. 15. AMENDMENT. The Board or a duly authorized committee thereof may amend the Plan in any respect from time to time; provided, however, that no amendment shall become effective unless approved by affirmative vote of the Company's shareholders if such approval is necessary or desirable for the continued validity of the Plan or if the failure to obtain such approval would adversely affect the compliance of the Plan with Rule 16b-3 or any successor rule under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or any other rule or regulation. No amendment may, without the consent of a participant, impair his or her rights under any Option previously granted under the Plan. The Board or a duly authorized committee thereof shall have the power, in the event of any disposition of substantially all of the assets of the Company, its dissolution, any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into any other corporation, or the merger or consolidation of any other corporation into the Company, to amend all outstanding Options to terminate such -3- 4 Options as of such effectiveness. If the Board shall exercise such power, all Options then outstanding shall be deemed to terminate upon such effectiveness. 16. LEGAL AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. No Option shall be exercisable and no shares will be delivered under the Plan except in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations including, without limitation, compliance with the rules of all domestic stock exchanges on which the Common Stock may be listed. Any share certificate issued to evidence shares for which an Option is exercised may bear such legends and statements as the Committee shall deem advisable to assure compliance with federal and state laws and regulations. No Option shall be exercisable, and no shares will be delivered under the Plan, until the Company has obtained consent or approval from regulatory bodies, federal or state, having jurisdiction over such matters as the Committee may deem advisable. In the case of the exercise of an Option by a person or estate acquiring the right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance, the Committee may require reasonable evidence as to the ownership of the Option and may require consents and releases of taxing authorities that it may deem advisable. August 5, 1999 -4- EX-5 3 OPINION OF BROWN RAYSMAN ET AL 1 EXHIBIT 5 Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP 120 West 45th Street New York, NY 100036 November 23, 1999 Hanover Direct, Inc. 1500 Harbor Boulevard Weehawken, New Jersey 07087 Ladies and Gentlemen: We refer to the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the "Registration Statement") to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), on behalf of Hanover Direct, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), relating to an aggregate of 700,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock, $.66 2/3 par value (the "Common Stock"), to be issued under the Company's 1999 Stock Option Plan for Directors (the "Plan"). As counsel to the Company, we have examined such corporate records and other documents and such questions of law as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for the purposes of this opinion and, upon the basis of such examinations, advise you that in our opinion all necessary corporate proceedings by the Company have been duly taken to authorize the issuance of the Common Stock pursuant to the Plan and the shares of Common Stock being registered pursuant to the Registration Statement, when issued and paid for in accordance with the terms of the Plan, will be duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. We consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. This consent is not to be construed as an admission that we are a person whose consent is required to be filed with the Registration Statement under the provisions of the Act. Very truly yours, /s/ Brown Raysman Millstein Felder & Steiner LLP EX-23.1 4 CONSENT OF ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP 1 EXHIBIT 23.1 CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS As independent public accountants, we hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this registration statement on Form S-8 of our report dated February 16, 1999 (except with respect to the matter discussed in Note 7, as to which the date is March 2, 1999) included in The Hanover Direct, Inc. Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 1998 and to all references to our Firm included in this registration statement. /s/ ARTHUR ANDERSEN New York November 23, 1999 -----END PRIVACY-ENHANCED MESSAGE-----