Guitar Center names chief stores officer
Guitar Center, Inc. has added a former PetSmart leader to its C-suite to oversee its retail stores.
The omnichannel musical instrument retailer has appointed Mike Schultheis to the role of executive VP and chief stores officer. Schultheis will oversee and manage every facet of Guitar Center's retail stores and report directly to CEO Gabe Dalporto.
Schultheis joins Guitar Center from PetSmart, where he served in a variety of roles for nearly 15 years. Most recently, he served as senior VP of U.S. stores from July 2022 to February 2024.
“With a proven retail track record of boosting revenue, expanding capabilities, streamlining processes, and developing top-notch teams, Mike will empower our Guitar Center stores to deliver the growth we know we are capable of,” said Dalporto, who assumed the role of CEO last October. “He brings over 30 years of experience at well-known companies such as PetSmart and Office Depot. He is the exceptional leader that our store teams deserve, and I am extremely excited for our associates to collaborate with him.”
Guitar Center says that as senior VP of stores at PetSmart, Schultheis led the store teams to increased revenues of over 40%. Earlier this year, Guitar Center named Kristin Shane as chief merchandising and marketing officer, who also joined the retailer from PetSmart.
“I am thrilled to join the Guitar Center leadership team,” said Schulteis. “Guitar Center is a brand with a loyal customer base of the world’s most passionate musicians, and I plan to help further reinforce and bolster that to deliver a best-in-class store experience. I look forward to collaborating with Gabe and the other talented Associates to work toward this common goal.”
[READ MORE: Advance Auto exec joins C-suite at Guitar Center]
Founded in 1959, Guitar Center operates more than 300 stores across the U.S.
