Advertisement

Belk Promotes Insider to CEO as Part of Ongoing Turnaround Effort

Belk has promoted President and Chief Merchandising Officer Nir Patel to CEO as the company also makes two other executive changes. Current CEO Lisa Harper will transition to the role of Executive Chair of the Belk Board of Directors.

Patel has been with Belk since 2016, joining as EVP, GMM, Men’s and Ecommerce. His responsibilities grew to encompass Home, Kids and Visual Merchandising before he took the CMO role in 2018. Patel added the President title in 2020 as he assumed additional responsibilities for marketing and ecommerce.

Prior to joining Belk, Patel was SVP at Kohl’s, VP at Lands’ End and held other roles at Abercrombie & Fitch, Target and Gap.

“I’m honored to continue the great legacy of Belk,” said Patel in a statement. “We quickly adapted to the challenges the pandemic threw at us this past year. I’m proud of our team’s ability to stay focused on what really matters to our customers — having the best products and making their shopping experience safe and seamless. We’ve accomplished so much already, and I’m excited to see all the ways that we’ll continue to grow.”

Advertisement

Current COO Don Hendricks will be promoted to President. Hendricks also has been with Belk since 2016 and has prior retail experience from leadership roles with Gymboree, Hot Topic and Torrid.

Additionally, Chris Kolbe was hired as EVP, Chief Merchandising Officer. He has 30 years’ experience at retailers including Kohl’s, Lands’ End, Original Penguin and Urban Outfitters. He will lead the Merchandising, Product Design and Sourcing teams for Belk.

Belk emerged from an expedited “one-day reorganization” after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2021. The retailer raised $225 million in new capital from owner Sycamore Partners, reduced its debt load by $450 million and extended maturities on all term loans to July 2025 during the process. The retailer has been seeking to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and “general market-related challenges.”

Featured Event

View the Retail Trendcaster Webinar Series on-demand to uncover key 2025 retail trends, from AI and personalization to social commerce. Gain expert insights, data-driven predictions, and actionable takeaways to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Retail Trendcaster Webinar Series
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Uncovering What’s Next in Retail

On-Demand Limited Video Series

Q1 is a pivotal time for retail, with experts analyzing holiday sales and forecasting trends. View the full lineup of the Retail Trendcaster video series for insights on consumer spending, AI, personalization, social commerce, and more—helping you focus on what truly matters in 2025.

Brought to you by
Retail TouchPoints
Access Now
Retail TouchPoints is a brand of Emerald X LLC. By clicking the button and submitting information, you acknowledge and agree that your information may be shared with corporate affiliates of Emerald X LLC, and other organizations such as event hosts, speakers, sponsors, and partners. Please read our Privacy Policy and our Terms Of Use for more information on our policies.

Access The Media Kit

Interests:

Access Our Editorial Calendar




If you are downloading this on behalf of a client, please provide the company name and website information below: