Los Angeles — On January 19, Forever 21 named Winnie Park as chief executive officer (CEO) of the fashion brand. The appointment is effective immediately. Park joins Forever 21 from Paper Source, where she served as CEO for the past 6 years.
Park’s tenure at Paper Source is marked by transforming the brand from a brick-and-mortar retailer to a lifestyle brand with a robust digital platform spanning social, digital content, online subscriptions and affiliate partnerships. She also led the successful sale of the brand to an affiliate of Barnes & Noble. Park will report into Marc Miller, CEO of SPARC.
“We are thrilled to have Winnie join the Forever 21 team. She is an inspirational leader and team builder who brings deep omnichannel experience and a track record of successfully growing businesses with particular strengths in strategy, merchandising, marketing and branding. As CEO, Winnie will add fresh perspective and approaches in connecting with the Forever 21 customer which will help drive Forever 21 from its current $2 billion sales level to new heights of success as a leading brand in SPARC’s Fashion and Lifestyle brand portfolio,” says Miller.
SPARC offers operational and strategic expertise including retail and e-commerce management, sourcing, design and technology for leading global brands including Eddie Bauer, Brooks Brothers, Nautica, Lucky Brand and Aéropostale.
During her three-decade career, Park has brought leadership, strategic vision and omnichannel brand experience across a variety of industries including fashion and retail. Prior to Paper Source, she held high-profile executive roles across e-commerce, global marketing and fashion merchandising including a 9-year tenure at the Hong Kong-based international luxury retail leader, DFS, a division of LVMH. Park currently is on the board and audit committee of Dollar Tree and is on the board for Women in Retail Leadership.
Now a part of Authentic Brands Group, Brookfield Property Group and Simon Property Group, Forever 21 has over 540 locations around the world. For more information, visit www.Forever21.com.
A full-service retail operator, SPARC Group LLC (SPARC) is a global enterprise which designs, sources, manufactures, distributes and markets apparel and accessories for men, women and kids.
SOURCE: Forever 21