A chorus of shareholder advisers has slapped women’s clothier Chico’s for its corporate governance, recommending that investors withhold support for a board member’s re-election at the struggling retailer’s annual meeting next week.

Three proxy-advisory firms sided against Chico’s director John Burden.

The beef is that Chico’s bent its own rules on conflicts of interest to keep Burden – whose son-in-law is a company executive – as an independent director.

Until recently, Burden served on the compensation committee of the Chico’s board, which has awarded CEO Scott Edmonds $25 million since 2003 despite sharp declines in the company’s profits and stock price during the past two years.

Chico’s officials couldn’t be reached for comment.