Gap, Inc.

The month of June brought a welcome bit of news for beleaguered Gap Inc.   The company reported that net sales for the five-week period ended July 2, 2016 increased 2% to $1.57 billion.   “We are pleased to see better performance across the portfolio this month, partly driven by an improvement in June traffic trends, particularly at Old Navy,” said Sabrina Simmons, CFO, Gap Inc.  

Specialty alcoholic beverage retailer BevMo is shuffling its leadership team as part of an organizational transformation initiative.  

A Swedish retail giant that excels in fast-fashion is also a leader when it comes to breaking the glass ceiling. But a U.S. merchant is not that far behind.   

A store development executive from Gap Inc. has been tapped to head up real estate for Foot Locker.   Foot Locker announced the appointment of Scott Martin as senior VP – real estate, effective June 13. Martin succeeds Jeffrey Berk, who retired in April after almost 20 years with the company.    

Moving forward with its promise to streamline its business model, Gap Inc. said it plans to close its fleet of 53 Old Navy stores in Japan and also shutter some Banana Republic stores, primarily outside of North America.

The retailer announced the moves on Thursday in its first quarter results, which marked the chain's fifth straight quarter of lower revenue and profit. The company also said it would not reaffirm its earnings guidance for the fiscal year.

Aéropostale is closing its 19,000-sq.-ft. flagship in Manhattan’s Times Square.

With the retail environment changing so rapidly today, and technology impacting everything a store does, the role of the chief financial officer has become more important than ever.

When I started recruiting in 1990, the business was much simpler — we hired retail executives based on a linear skillset, and departments operated in individual silos. Today, it is much more complex, as the C-suite works in collaboration to keep up with an increasingly savvy consumer.

So, what then do you look for in a CFO today?

A controversial labor practice employed by some retailers is coming under increased scrutiny by U.S.regulators.  

A controversial labor practice employed by some retailers is coming under increased scrutiny by U.S. regulators.

Gap Inc. has named a longtime member of its executive team to head up its Old Navy brand.

The retailer appointed Sonia Syngal as global president of Old Navy, effective immediately, as it looks to reenergize its value-driven brand. She succeeds Stefan Larsson, who left last year to become CEO of Ralph Lauren Corp.

Syngal, a 12-year Gap veteran, most recently served as executive VP of global supply chain and product operations for Gap Inc.