Delia's beefs up merchandizing team amid slumping May/June sales

NEW YORK — Multichannel retailer Delia's, which primarily markets its brand to teenage girls, has appointed Whitney Randall as the company's VP and general merchandise manager, following the company's May/June financial results.



In her role, Randall will be responsible for the organization's merchandising activities and will report to CEO Tracy Gardner. Randall’s experience includes tenures with Gardner at both The Gap and J.Crew in various merchandising roles, including VP of merchandising for J.Crew. For the past year, Randall has been divisional VP of global merchandising for Coach.



“We are excited to welcome Whitney to Delia's," said Gardner. "She has an exceptional track record, bringing deep knowledge and experience to our organization. I look forward to once again working with Whitney to bring the Delia's brand to its full potential.”



Randall comes on board on the heels of the company's performance for the combined May and June period, which saw revenue decrease 15.1% to $23.2 million compared to the same period in fiscal 2012. The decrease is reflective of persistent weak traffic trends. Revenue from the retail segment decreased 12.2% to $16.9 million, due to a reduction in store count and a comparable store sales decrease of 8.1%. Revenue for the direct segment decreased 22.2% to $6.2 million.



“Business remains challenging as we continue to utilize aggressive promotional strategies to move through underperforming legacy inventory," added Gardner. "As we are in the beginning stages of a turnaround, we expect continuing pressures over the near term. We are intently focused on managing the Delia's business for the long-term, and are working to create a unified brand image and build a strong foundation for profitable future growth.”



“We are pleased with the progress that Tracy is making to enhance her senior leadership team and the steps she is taking to stabilize the business," said Michael Zimmerman, chairman of the board. "We are also pleased with our new relationship with Salus Capital as we partner together to identify ways to create additional financial flexibility.”