NEW YORK— Julian R. Geiger has been named president and chief executive officer of Crumbs Bake Shop, Inc., a national neighborhood bakery and the largest U.S.-based cupcake specialty store chain. Mr. Geiger succeeds Jason Bauer, who co-founded the company’s operating subsidiary, Crumbs Holdings, L.L.C. and served as its president and c.e.o. since 2003. Mr. Bauer has been named senior vice-president of business development.

Mr. Geiger has been a member of Crumbs’ board of directors since May, and also he currently serves as chairman of the board of directors of Aeropostale Inc., a mall-based, specialty retailer of casual apparel and accessories. From 1998 to 2010, he was c.e.o. and chairman of Aeropostale. Earlier, he was president of the Eagle Eye Kids wholesale and retail divisions of Asian American Partners, and also held a range of merchandising positions at R.H. Macy & Co., Inc.

“Since co-founding Crumbs with my wife Mia in 2003, we always knew that Crumbs would reach a point at which we would want to recruit a leader with proven skills and success in leading an expanding retail business,” Mr. Bauer said. “As we are currently operating 45 stores, I believe that now is the time for such a change. The entire board joins Mia and me in welcoming Julian to the Crumbs family.”

The first Crumbs Bake Shop opened in March 2003 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, N.Y. Crumbs currently has 45 locations, including 31 locations in the New York Metro area, 6 locations on the West coast, 3 locations in Washington, D.C., 1 location in Virginia and 4 locations in Illinois. The company’s specialty is cupcakes, but the menu also includes a variety of baked goods.