WARRENDALE, Pa., Oct. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- rue21, inc., a
leading specialty apparel retailer, today announced that
Keith McDonough, Chief Financial
Officer, has been appointed as Interim Chief Executive Officer,
succeeding Bob Fisch. Mr. McDonough
will serve in this interim role as the Board of Directors conducts
a search for a new CEO. Mr. McDonough, who has served as the CFO of
rue21 for 13 years, has more than three decades of senior
leadership experience in the retail industry.
The Company also announced today the appointments of
Nina Barjesteh as Chief
Merchandising Officer and Elizabeth
Hodges as Chief Customer Officer. Ms. Barjesteh, who has
more than 20 years of experience in the retail and fashion
industry, joins rue21 from Target, where she served as the Vice
President, General Merchandise Manager of the Women's Apparel
Division. She will be responsible for all of rue21's merchandising
initiatives. Ms. Barjesteh succeeds Kim
Reynolds as General Merchandise Manager.
As Chief Customer Officer, a new position for rue21, Ms. Hodges
will bring to bear extensive experience and leadership skills in
overseeing the Company's brand marketing and advertising
initiatives. She joins rue21 from Chico's FAS, where she spent nine
years, most recently as Senior Vice President of Customer
Experience. Ms. Hodges previously held leadership positions with JC
Penney, American Eagle and Lane
Bryant.
Keith McDonough said, "We thank
Bob Fisch and Kim Reynolds for their 15 years of collaboration
and passion in building rue21 into a leading teen specialty apparel
retailer. We are very excited to have Nina
Barjesteh and Liz Hodges join
the rue21 leadership team. They both will play key roles as we
further position our business for long-term growth."
rue21 today operates 1,213 stores in 48 states. The company will
open approximately 40 new stores and upgrade 100 existing stores in
fiscal 2016 as it continues to grow sales both in its stores and
online, where e-commerce sales grew 90% in the first six months of
the current fiscal year. Rue21 also is launching several new,
customer-focused initiatives in fiscal 2016, such as ship-to-store
and CRM.
Mr. McDonough said, "We continue to execute on the strategic
initiatives we set out for 2016 and the longer-term, including
strengthening our brand, our merchandise assortments and our
omni-channel capabilities, in addition to increasing our square
footage. Our strong management team, comprised of tenured retail
executives with deep experience in all aspects of our business,
complemented by the addition of Nina and Liz, is well positioned to
take rue21 to the next level of growth."
Nina Barjesteh said, "I am
excited to join rue21 and help position the Company for future
growth by developing the rue21 brand and expanding our omni-channel
offering. Having recently opened its 1,200th store, and
distinguished by its growing online presence, rue21 has exciting
opportunities ahead."
About rue21, inc.
rue21 is a leading specialty apparel
retailer offering exclusive branded merchandise and the newest
trends at a great value. rue21 currently operates 1,213 stores in
48 states. Learn more at www.rue21.com.
Contact:
|
Stacy
Siegel
|
|
SVP/CAO and General
Counsel
|
|
724-776-9780
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SOURCE rue21, inc.