SaksOff5th hires ecommerce chief, Loop brings on marketing lead

SaksOff5th.com hires head of ecommerce

Julie Mares was hired as head of ecommerce at SaksOff5th.com, WWD reported. She will oversee website and app design, customer experience, merchandising and digital content strategy.

Previously Mares served as head of ecommerce and omnichannel at UnTuckIt. She also brings experience from Walmart, Simon Property Group, Gucci, Century 21 and Macy’s over a 20-year career.

“There is incredible opportunity ahead for the SaksOff5th.com business,” Mares said in a statement. “By implementing a holistic, data-driven e-commerce strategy, we will be well equipped to evolve our digital capabilities and positioned to provide a best-in-class site experience for our customers.”

Loop taps head of marketing

Franchesca Hashim was appointed head of marketing at Loop, the baby gear rental startup led by former Glossier CMO Ali Weiss.

Hashim previously served as head of brand marketing at Masterclass, and brings more than 15 years of experience working with brands such as Everlane, Airbnb and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Loop launched in 2021 with $5.6 million in seed funding to bring a shared economy model to the $175 billion durable baby products market. Its catalog includes more than 200 toys and baby gear items for rental, with no setup required.

Hashim comes as Loop is planning expansion into Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago, and is eying age groups beyond 3+.

Hashim will begin by hiring a team to execute in areas including market expansion, customer engagement and experience, as well as community programming.

Ariana Grande’s beauty brand names new CEO

Michelle Shigemasa was hired as CEO of r.e.m beauty, the beauty brand owned by Ariana Grande.

Bringing more than 20 years experience, Shigemasa has previously held leadership positions at skincare brand Murad and color cosmetics company Smashbox.

The hire comes after Grande acquired the assets of r.e.m. beauty from previous parent Forma Brands, which filed for bankruptcy last month.

Farfetch CFO to leave at end of the year

Elliot Jordan is set to depart luxury ecommerce platform Farfetch from the role of chief financial officer by the end of 2023.

Jordan served in the role for more than eight years, as the company transitioned from private to public, and grew GMV to $4.1 billion. He is staying on through 2023 while the company conducts a search for a successor.

“We are some way off from saying our ‘goodbyes’ but his legacy will be formidable finance and business services teams that are part of a company that we believe is extremely well placed to continue to lead the industry and drive profitable growth – and Elliot has been an important building block of our success,” said Farfetch CEO José Neves.

Foot Locker appoints interim CFO

Robert Higginbotham was named interim CFO at Foot Locker. This will be an additional role on top of duties as SVP of investor relations, financial planning and analysis, which he assumed in December 2022. Previously, Higginbotham spent nearly 20 years on Wall Street as an equity research analyst and portfolio manager.

The March 1 transition for Higginbotham comes as the retailer continues a search for a successor to Andrew E. Page, who will be leaving the company on Feb. 28.