Build-A-Bear names president

St. Louis Build-A-Bear has hired John Haugh to fill the newly created position of president and chief marketing and merchandising officer, effective March 16.

Haugh will lead the Build-A-Bear Workshop marketing, merchandising and strategic planning teams, and support functions to drive sales growth and profitability, the company said.

Haugh most recently served as president of It’s Sugar, a candy and confectionery retailer. From 2004 through 2007, he served as president of Mars Retail Group and before that he was chief marketing officer and senior VP worldwide business development, at Payless ShoeSource.

In November, Build-A-Bear's board of directors fired its president and COO, Scott Seay, offering few details as to why.

The company also announced Thursday that, effective immediately, Tina Klocke has been named chief operations and financial officer. Klocke will assume formal responsibility for store operations, in addition to her continuing role as CFO.

Klocke joined Build-A-Bear Workshop as CFO in 1997 as part of the company’s founding team. Her new position formalizes the oversight of the store operations team she assumed in October 2008. In addition to store operations, her responsibilities continue to include the finance and accounting, investor relations, and public relations functions.