Ascena appoints new Dressbarn president

By

Robin Driver

Published
Jan 29, 2018

Ascena retail group, inc. announced this Monday that Erin Stern has been promoted to the position of Dressbarn President.
 

The position previously held by Stern at Ascena was that of  EVP-Chief Merchandising Officer for maurices. Prior to this, most of her career was spent at Gap, where she held a number of different senior management roles across various product categories.

The sociology graduate has also served as Chief Merchant for Juicy Couture and President of Bebe Sport.

In a release, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ascena Brands Gary Muto commented, “Erin brings extraordinary strategic, branding and merchandising capabilities that will complement our current leadership team.”
 
Stern echoed Muto’s positivity, stating, “I’m excited to work alongside this talented team. The combination of this brand’s strong history, combined with its niche in the market, make us uniquely positioned to play a more meaningful role in our customer’s lives.”
 
Ascena Retail Group is a national specialty womenswear retailer that owns brands in the premium fashion segment (Ann Taylor, LOFT and Lou & Grey), the value fashion segment (Maurices and Dressbarn) and the plus-size fashion segment (Lane Bryant, Catherines and Cacique), as well as kids fashion (Justice). The group operates through a network of around 4,700 stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as through brand-specific e-commerce sites.
 
The group recently reported that Dressbarn’s holiday sales were down 13% compared to the previous year, with the company assuring that it was “aggressively addressing merchandising issues” at the store and forecasting improved results for the spring.