Macy's names head of Home Store

CINCINNATI Macy's Inc. today announced that John Harper has been named president and coo of its New York-based Macy's Home Store division, effective Aug. 6. Currently, he serves as vice chairman and director of stores of the Macy's Midwest division in St. Louis.

Harper replaces Michael Osborn, who retires effective Aug. 3 after more than 33 years of service with the company. He joins Timothy Adams, chairman and ceo, and Jeffrey Kantor, president for furniture, as principals of the Macy's Home Store division, which is responsible for the centralized buying, merchandising and marketing of home furnishings for Macy's stores nationwide. Harper will report to Adams.

Harper, has been vice chairman and director of stores at Macy's Midwest since February 2006. Previously, he served since 2004 as chairman of Hecht's/Strawbridge's, then an Arlington, Va.-based division. He also served Hecht's/Strawbridge's as senior vp of finance, senior vp of operations and vp of profit management. Harper joined The May Department Stores Co. at its Kaufmann's division in 1983. He held numerous accounting, strategic planning, and financial positions at the Kaufmann's, L.S. Ayres, and Famous-Barr divisions prior to joining Hecht's as vp and controller in 1993.