Bed Bath & Beyond adds a bit of restructuring experience to its executive leadership team with the addition of Bart Sichel as executive vice president, chief marketing and customer officer. According to an announcement from the retailer, Sichel will oversee integrated marketing and customer strategies for Bed Bath & Beyond, as well as its BuyBuy Baby and Harmon brands.
Sichel served as chief marketing officer at Burlington Stores for eight years, and prior to that he spent 13 years with McKinsey & Company, which among other things specializes in corporate restructuring and transformation.
At McKinsey, Sichel was a partner and leader in the consulting firm’s marketing and retail practices, supporting a wide range of clients across department stores, specialty and big box retail, and branded manufacturers.
At Burlington Stores, Sichel was responsible for marketing, e-commerce and strategy during the company’s brand transformation and turnaround. Most recently, he has worked with clients at his own consulting firm, bps Captura.
“I am excited to welcome Bart to the Bed Bath & Beyond leadership team and am confident that his retail experience and deep knowledge of marketing and customer engagement will further support our strategic plan currently underway,” said Sue Gove, president and CEO, Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. “Bart has an excellent track record when it comes to building brands, driving brand loyalty, marketing strategy, advertising, and customer insights and analytics, which will be instrumental as we continue to expeditiously pursue our back-to-basics philosophy, work to accelerate our performance, and ensure our customers have access to an assortment of compelling brands at great values across Bed Bath & Beyond, buybuy BABY and Harmon.”
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Sichel steps into the role at a time when Bed Bath & Beyond is struggling to regain its marketshare and turnaround years of declining sales. It announced a major reorg in late summer just before its financial chief committed suicide. Most recently, the retailer had several suppliers halt or restrict shipments due to missed or late payments. On Nov. 1, Bed Bath & Beyond filed an SEC form stating that EVP and chief customer and technology officer would resign effective Dec. 2, just days after the company said it is also investigating a possible data breach.
Sichel will tap into his experience of navigating and leading restructurings with both McKinsey and Burlington in an effort to help lead Bed Bath & Beyond to stronger footing.
“I’m joining Bed Bath & Beyond at an important moment for the company and look forward to partnering with the entire leadership team to build on the power of each concept and strengthen relationships with our partners,” Sichel said.