Retail
Saks Global
Luxury multi-brand retailer Saks Global announced that executive chairman Richard Baker has assumed the role of chief executive officer, as current CEO Marc Metrick has stepped down to pursue new opportunities after nearly three decades with the company. Since joining Saks in 1995, Metrick served in several roles across merchandising, marketing and strategy—eventually taking over leadership of Saks Fifth Avenue in 2015.
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As CEO, Baker will work closely with management to advance the struggling department store’s transformation, overseeing the company’s luxury retail operations. He’ll continue to serve as executive chairman as well.
Brands
Lululemon
Chip Wilson, founder of Lululemon—and one of the Vancouver-based athletic purveyor’s largest shareholders—has nominated three independent director candidates for election to the Lululemon board of directors at the 2026 annual meeting of shareholders.
Marc Maurer is the former co-chief executive officer of On Holding AG. Under his tenure, On’s global brand expansion, retail and DTC scaling nearly quadrupled, according to internal financial data.
Laura Gentile is the former chief marketing officer of ESPN, where she oversaw creative output, fan engagement, media strategy, event marketing and social media for all of ESPN’s brands, platforms, shows and events. She also founded espnW, the multiplatform sports brand’s first and only dedicated business for women.
Eric Hirshberg is the former chief executive officer of Activision, the largest segment of Activision Blizzard, an American video game holding company. During his tenure, Activision Blizzard’s stock rose 500 percent. At the same time, Activision’s segment profit nearly doubled during Hirshberg’s almost eight years in the role, according to internal financial data.
At the same time, Wilson submitted a non-binding proposal calling for the board to immediately declassify so that all directors are elected annually by shareholders. Per Wilson, only around 10 percent of S&P 500 companies have staggered director elections, as informed by diligent market intelligence procured in May that found investors ramping up board declassification efforts as governance “returns to forefront.”
Logistics
Spar Group
Charlotte, North Carolina-based retail solutions provider Spar Group has announced the promotion of Jean Richer to head of North American sales and marketing. In this role, Richer will lead Spar’s commercial growth agenda across North America, bringing more than 25 years of executive-level experience across the CPG and retail services landscape. The company said the move reinforces focus on accelerating revenue growth across merchandising and consumer packaged goods clients in the United States and Canada. Richer will report to chief executive officer, William Linnane.
