// Claire’s hires new chief executive
// Ryan Vero previously served as Sears and OfficeMax exec
// He most recently served as president of Party City Retail Group
Claire’s has appointed former Sears executive Ryan Vero as new company chief executive.
Vero’s most recent role involved serving as president of Party City Retail Group, where he was responsible for overseeing nearly 1000 retail stores in North America and Europe, as well as ecommerce and web operations.
Before that, he had a role in executive leadership at US department store chain Sears and office supplies retailer OfficeMax, where he led key consumer business lines,
as well as ecommerce, marketing and merchandising operations.
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READ MORE: Claire’s UK arm considering CVA while US operations celebrate return from bankruptcy
“Ryan’s track record of growth through innovation makes him the ideal leader to drive Claire’s into the future. We look forward to this new era for Claire’s,” Claire’s chairman Samantha Algaze said.
Vero said: “Claire’s is at a moment of great potential, as the retail industry continues to change rapidly and consumer preferences continue to shift.
“I’m looking forward to leveraging these opportunities to ensure the company is well-positioned for growth and that we are doing everything we can to provide our customers with the fun, unique products that they love.”
Claire’s interim chief executive Kevin Corning, who has been on the board since October 2018 and been serving as interim since March, will support Vero’s transition and then return to his previous role.
In October last year, speculation was rife that Claire’s UK arm was in talks with restructuring firms which meant it may have had to undergo a CVA.
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