Body Central reshapes merchant group

Specialty apparel retailer Body Central has transformed its merchandising organization with four high level hires and the departure of former chief merchant Beth Angelo.

The operator of 276 stores under the Body Central and Body Shop banners said Angelo resigned from her position as chief merchandising officer and EVP last Friday. Her responsibilities will be assumed by Andrea Jackson who joins the company as SVP/GMM and will be responsible for merchandising in all Body Central Stores. She most recently served as a DMM at Sears where she was responsible for juniors’ apparel and women’s dresses and outerwear. She previously spent several years in the buying and merchandising departments of Wet Seal and at Macy’s.

Other new hires included the appointment of Patti Simigran as SVP of e-commerce and direct merchandising, Debbie Martin as SVP of trend and design and Grant Simmons as vp of e-commerce marketing.

"These four leaders bring diverse and in-depth retailing knowledge in the areas of merchandising, branding, marketing, and strategic planning to Body Central," said Body Central CEO Brian Woolf. He also thanked departing head merchant Angelo for her efforts. "Separately, I want to thank Beth for her years of hard work and dedication to Body Central. She has been instrumental in building Body Central into a business with over $300 million in annual sales and we appreciate her contributions. I wish her the best in her future endeavors."

Simigran joins Body Central from Maurice's, where she served as chief merchandising office. Prior to that, she was chief merchandising officer at Tabi International, a leading Canadian specialty retailer. She also held roles at David's Bridal, Sears Holdings, and Land's End.

Martin joins Body Central from Lane Bryant where she served as SVP of design, trend and product development and was responsible for vertical product integration. She also held roles at Chico's, Lis Claiborne and Talbot’s.

Simmons joins Body Central from Coldwater Creek, where he held numerous positions in the e-commerce and marketing groups, most recently as division vp of e-commerce.