Macy's taps Calvin Klein exec to lead apparel

Dive Brief:

Sam Archibald, who launched his career through Macy's executive development program and then spent more than a decade at the department store in various merchandising roles, has returned as general business manager of apparel, the retailer said by email Tuesday.
Archibald most recently was president of retail and outlets in North America at Calvin Klein, according to the Macy's announcement. He spent nearly three years at Calvin Klein, per his LinkedIn profile.
Archibald will report to Chief Merchandising Officer Nata Dvir, who replaced company veteran Patti Ongman in that role earlier this year.

Dive Insight:

Macy's had a good second quarter, signaling recovery after a pandemic-dominated year that forced the temporary closure of its stores and interrupted its much touted turnaround.

CEO Jeff Gennette has said the turnaround, dubbed "Polaris," is back on track. But the effort is being undertaken by some new leadership, including a chief financial officer who arrived last November and Dvir who arrived in February.

A fresh merchandising strategy is key to Polaris. That includes a revamp of existing apparel private labels that had been originally announced by Ongman, with the aim of leveraging its INC International Concepts, Alfani, Style & Co and Charter Club women's apparel brands for 25% of sales by 2025.

Those four brands are being overhauled and are "well on their way" to each becoming a $1 billion brand, Ongman said last year.

Target, which is not a department store but is increasingly acting like one when it comes to many aspects of merchandising, has shown that can be done, with a few billion-dollar brands in its owned portfolio. The question remains what Macy's can accomplish.

"[Sam] brings breadth of experience to this role, with acumen in merchandising, digital, planning, private brands, off-price and stores," Dvir said in an emailed statement. "He has strong vendor relationships, industry credibility and a laser-focus on the customer to increase market share across our apparel business. We look forward to seeing the impact he will have on our continued evolution."