Herbert Mines Associates Places First Chief Merchandising Officer for Bloomingdale’s
March 28, 2023 – New York-based retail and consumer focused executive search firm Herbert Mines Associates has helped to place Denise Magid to the newly created role of chief merchandising officer for Bloomingdale’s. Ms. Magid, who is being promoted from her role as a general merchandising manager, will be charged with driving the strategic direction and performance of all of the luxury department store chain’s merchandising initiatives. Her responsibilities will involve building and enhancing new and existing partnerships, expanding the brand matrix and product assortment, and ultimately influencing the future growth of the Bloomingdale’s brand, said the retailer. Ms. Magid will report to Bloomingdale’s chairman and CEO Tony Spring.
The creation of the chief merchant role is a historic step for Bloomingdale’s and allows the brand to build on the momentum coming off its strong 2022 performance and its 150Th anniversary celebration. “We are confident that Denise’s vision and leadership will continue to strengthen our relationships with our brand partners and further refine how we can cater to the unique needs of the Bloomingdale’s customer,” said Mr. Spring. “We look forward to Denise’s impact in this newly created role.”
Ms. Magid is a well-respected retail executive, with a strong strategic headset and exceptional taste level. She brings extensive experience and a successful retail track record having held senior leadership roles at both Intermix and Saks Fifth Avenue, before joining Bloomingdales in 2019 as GMM, ready-to-wear, concessions, adding off-price in 2020 and women’s accessories in 2021.
Pushing the Boundaries
“It has been such an honor to be a part of the Bloomingdale’s family throughout these transformative years,” said Ms. Magid. “I look forward to taking on the role of chief merchant and working closely with the GMMs and the Bloomingdale’s team to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Bloomingdale’s holds a special place in the retail landscape, yet I truly believe the best is yet to come.”
“While Bloomingdale’s finally saw fit to designate a chief merchant, its competitors have long had them in place,” according to a recent article in Women’s Wear Daily (WWD). “At the Neiman Marcus Group, it’s Lana Todorovich. At Saks, it’s Tracy Margolies, and Macy’s has Nata Dvir.”
“Because the merchandising and buying at Bloomingdale’s is rapidly changing and getting more complex through the adoption of additional channel formats, it seems very relevant to have someone designated as chief merchant,” said WWD. “Later this year Bloomingdale’s will launch an online marketplace. In the past couple of years, it launched Bloomies, a smaller, highly specialized brick-and-mortar version of Bloomingdale’s. Since 2010, Bloomingdale’s has been rolling out outlets, too.”
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Bloomingdale’s is “America’s only nationwide, full-line, upscale department store.” A division of Macy’s, Inc., it operates 34 Bloomingdale’s stores, 20 Bloomingdale’s The Outlet stores, and two Bloomie’s stores in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. In addition, Bloomingdale’s has an international presence with a location in Dubai and Kuwait. Founded in 1872, the iconic retailer celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022.
Veteran Recruiters
Established in 1978, Herbert Mines is a specialist search firm focusing on the retail, fashion and apparel, beauty, consumer products and services, hospitality, leisure, restaurant, and digital/technology industries. The firm is noted for its C-suite recruiting work. Herbert Mines has had upwards of 3,600 searches during the tenure of Hal Reiter, who joined the firm in 1993 as president, and was appointed chairman and chief executive officer in 1998.
Herbert Mines Assists RugsUSA with CEO Search
Herbert Mines Associates has assisted in the recruitment of Alyssa Steele as the new CEO of RugsUSA, an E-commerce retailer and supplier of area rugs and home décor products. RugsUSA’s interim CEO Dinesh Lathi will continue with the company and return to his prior role as chairman of the board of directors. “We are thrilled to have an executive of Alyssa’s caliber join the RugsUSA team,” said Mr. Lathi. “Alyssa’s impressive track record at best-in-class companies combined with her passion for delivering for customers makes her the perfect candidate to drive growth and lead RugsUSA. I look forward to working with her as I transition back to my role as chairman of the board.”
Brenda Malloy is the firm’s president. She brings over 40 years of experience to Herbert Mines Associates. During her career, she has authored numerous articles on retail CEO succession, omnichannel leadership, in addition to being a featured speaker at the National Retail Federation’s annual convention in New York City. Working with leading retailers at the senior most levels to assemble winning leadership teams, Ms. Malloy primarily recruits board directors, CEOs, and their direct reports for publicly traded, privately held and private equity backed companies spanning vertical specialty, lifestyle and branded retail, off-price/value, grocery, hardlines, mass, and the specialty department store sectors.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
