Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) has hired Paige Thomas as President of Saks OFF 5TH, effective immediately. The appointment will allow Saks Fifth Avenue President Marc Metrick, who has been leading both banners, to focus on his primary role.
Thomas joins HBC from Nordstrom, where she most recently served as EVP, General Merchandise Manager, Full Price — Men’s and Kids. She previously held the position of EVP, General Merchandise Manager at Nordstrom for five years, where she led the launch of Nordstrom Rack’s e-Commerce site and the retailer’s integration with members-only shopping service HauteLook. Thomas’ prior experience includes leadership positions at Kohl’s and Fred Meyer.
“Paige has a proven track record of achieving aggressive growth within off-price retail through superior cross-channel customer experiences,” said Helena Foulkes, CEO of HBC in a statement. “With her deep merchandising background and instinct to quickly capitalize on digital opportunities, I believe Paige is the right leader to further evolve Saks OFF 5TH and unleash its potential as a true off-price retailer.”
Thomas joins HBC as the retailer prepares to be taken private by a group of shareholders in an effort to boost its turnaround efforts. HBC as a whole has been struggling, which resulted in the sale of the Lord & Taylor franchise to Le Tote and an exit from its European real estate and retail, but Saks OFF 5TH has been a silver lining for the overall brand: the banner has reported three straight quarters of comparable sales growth, bolstered by strong e-Commerce sales.
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