Ron Johnson, mastermind behind Apple’s retail success and ousted J.C. Penney CEO, is taking another stab at selling apparel.
Edgy women’s e-tailer Nasty Gal announced Thursday that Johnson is leading a $16 million Series C funding round to build on the company’s omnichannel growth. He will also join the Los Angeles-based company’s board of directors.
The investment comes six weeks after Nasty Gal Founder Sophia Amoruso stepped down as CEO, ceding the title to her second-in-command, Sheree Waterson, after a difficult 2014 that saw a steep decline in revenue and the reported layoff of 10 percent of its staff.
Johnson — who was fired from J.C. Penney after his grand mission to transform the department store’s image into something sleek and modern slashed sales by 32 percent — currently serves as CEO of e-commerce start-up Enjoy. He will join Amoruso, Waterson and Danny Rimer of existing investor Index Ventures on Nasty Gal’s board.
“Ron was always my first choice,” Amoruso revealed to Re/code.
The company has now raised $65 million to date, following a $49 million Series B funding round in 2012. The company ventured into brick-and-mortar late last year, opening a store on Melrose Avenue on Nov. 21, and said in a statement that it plans to open at least one more.