Destination XL Group, Inc. has hired James Reath, former SVP of Marketing at Bed Bath & Beyond, as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Reath will replace Ujjwal Dhoot, who will leave the company Oct. 11, 2022. Reath will manage overall marketing strategy, brand, consumer, creative, media, CRM and digital commerce for the company, which operates the DXL Big + Tall and Casual Male XL brands.
Since starting at Bed Bath & Beyond in January 2021, Reath’s responsibilities included marketing strategy, investment, owned brands and digital performance. Reath is departing following the exit of CEO Mark Tritton in June during a tumultuous period for the company, which has led to plans to close 150 stores and cut 20% of its workforce following a sales decline of 26% for the quarter ending Aug. 27, 2022.
Reath’s 20-year career has been rooted in retail and includes senior marketing experience at Macy’s in addition to his work as EVP, Head of Retail at BBDO. His experience also includes serving as a partner at McKinney and Chief Marketing Officer at Young & Rubicam.
“We are extremely pleased that Jim has joined DXL Big + Tall, as our new Chief Marketing Officer,” said Harvey Kanter, President and CEO of Destination XL in a statement. “Jim’s appointment underscores our ongoing transformation and commitment to building out the organization’s continued focus on customer engagement through data-driven personalization, loyalty and digital marketing.”
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Destination XL has performing strongly over the last three months, with its shares up 42%. The retailer had received a $17.5 million first-in, last-out (FILO) term loan in March 2021 following a dismal 2020.
