Toronto — Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) has appointed Iain Nairn as president, effective January 12, 2020. A highly accomplished retail executive, Nairn has a remarkable track record of driving profitable growth and transformational change at a wide variety of retailers, from specialty to department store formats. He reports directly to Helena Foulkes, CEO of HBC.
“We took time to conduct a thorough, worldwide search to ensure we found the right person to lead the business and steward the Hudson’s Bay brand,” Foulkes says. “Iain brings strong leadership, sharp focus and in-depth expertise that I believe will make a positive impact on Hudson’s Bay. To date, the team has made great strides in fixing the fundamentals, evolving our service model and elevating our merchandise assortment. There is a tremendous opportunity in Canada to deliver an outstanding customer experience and I am excited to work with Iain to elevate the brand and drive performance for future success.”
Most recently, Nairn was CEO of kikki.K, a global Swedish design and stationery business, with 102 namesake stores and e-commerce, and product lines available in over 147 countries worldwide. Previously, he was CEO of David Jones, Australia’s leading premium omnichannel department store chain, where he increased profitability and delivered comp store sales growth in his first year.
HBC, incorporated in 1670, is North America’s oldest company. Hudson’s Bay has grown to become Canada’s most prominent department store, today operating 89 full-line locations and www.thebay.com. HBC’s portfolio today includes formats ranging from luxury to premium department stores to off-price fashion shopping destinations, with nearly 250 stores and approximately 30,000 employees around the world. HBC’s leading businesses across North America include Saks Fifth Avenue, Hudson’s Bay and Saks OFF 5TH.
SOURCE: Hudson’s Bay Company