George Zimmer, whose gravelly, deliberate delivery of the line, "You're gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it," has made him boringly famous, is being ousted as Executive Chairman of the Houston- and Fremont, California-based Men's Wearhouse. The company's board isn't giving any reason for the ouster, only saying that they're removing him from the ballot for their upcoming shareholders' meeting.

In a statement the Men's Wearhouse board says it "expects to discuss with Mr. Zimmer the extent, if any, and terms of his ongoing relationship with the Company."

Zimmer, 64, founded the inexpensive men's clothing retailer in 1973 in Texas, and built it into a national brand with 1,143 stores.

The reason does not seem to have to do with the bottom line, as the company recently reported its first quarter fiscal profits were up 23%. However it may be relevant that Zimmer stepped down as CEO two years ago, and Douglas Ewert was put in charge, with Zimmer remaining the face of the company in the role of Executive Chairman.

Retail analyst Richard Jaffe tells USA Today that he believes Zimmer's termination likely had to do with his having "difficulty letting go of the reins and the leadership of the business."

The company has postponed its annual shareholders' meeting, scheduled for tomorrow.

Below, one of Men's Wearhouse's latter day ads, featuring fedoras, scarves, old timey typewriters, and young bucks who don't wear proper shoes with their suits.

[SF Business Times]
[NBC]
[USA Today]