Barneys chief executive Socol resigns

NEW YORK, May 13 (Reuters) - The chief executive of retailer Barneys New York announced on Tuesday he plans to resign from the company in late spring or early summer.

Howard Socol, who had served as CEO since January 2001, plans to stay with the luxury retailer through June, the company said.

Socol, 62, reportedly had disagreements with Barneys' new owner, Istithmar, an investment division of the Dubai government, according to a recent article in the New York Times. Istithmar purchased the retailer for $942 million from Jones Apparel Group Inc (JNY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in September of 2007.

Socol did not specify his reason for leaving the company. David Jackson, the CEO of Istithmar, said the company was currently searching for a successor.

Finding a replacement for Socol could be difficult. Currently, there are no apparent inside candidates and few choices outside the company, according to an article on Tuesday in Women's Wear Daily. (Reporting by Steven Bertoni; Editing by Andre Grenon)