Kirkland’s names new CEO

Kirkland’s has named its first female chief executive.

The home décor and furnishings retailer has promoted Amy Sullivan to CEO, effective Feb. 5, and she will also join the company’s board of directors. Sullivan succeeds interim CEO Ann Joyce, who will remain on the company’s board.

Sullivan, who joined Kirkland’s in 2012, was promoted to president and COO in the spring of 2023. As a member of the executive team, she has helped lead the organization through significant strategic repositioning initiatives, including refocusing marketing efforts and aligning product assortments to drive customer demand. 

Prior to Kirkland’s, Sullivan held senior-level positions for Lane Bryant, Lands’ End, Express, Kohl’s and JCPenney.  

“Amy is an invaluable leader within our organization, and over the past nine months she has been instrumental in returning the company to a positive trajectory, including improved 2023 holiday season sales, that we hope to build off of in 2024,” said R. Wilson Orr, chairman of Kirkland’s Home. “Since transitioning to an executive leadership role, Amy has been integral to the execution of our repositioning strategy and we believe, as CEO, she is poised to return Kirkland’s Home to profitable growth over the long-term.”

In a separate release, Kirkland said its comparable sales for the first two months of the fiscal fourth quarter (through Dec. 30, 2023) increased 3.1% compared to the year-ago  period. This includes an increase of 1.5% for November 2023 and an increase of 4.8% for December 2023, both compared to the same prior-year period. 

The positive comparable sales increase was largely driven by strong in-store performance from increased traffic and conversion, the company said.

Kirkland’s operates 339 stores in 35 states as well as an e-commerce website under the Kirkland’s Home brand.