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Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sharon Leite Returns to The Vitamin Shoppe as CEO Again
Sharon Leite is embarking on a second tour of duty at The Vitamin Shoppe. Kingswood Capital Management and Performance Investment Partners, the private equity firms that just bought The Vitamin Shoppe, announced Leite's return to the retailer as its chief executive officer on Tuesday. Leite served as The Vitamin Shoppe's CEO from 2018 to 2023, but left to become CEO of Ideal Image, a chain of med spas, and later CEO of Omni Retail Enterprises, the parent company of brands operating e-commerce including Pier 1 Imports and More from WWD The Future of Beauty Is All About Wellness Bobbi Brown, Lauren Bush Lauren and More Honored at Einstein College of Medicine Spirit of Achievement Luncheon Twelve Years After Hitting the Market, Men's Grooming Brand Harry's Is Launching a New Razor The new owners indicated that the rest of the executive leadership team at The Vitamin Shoppe — which includes the president of the company Muriel Gonzalez — remains in place. The private equity firms bought The Vitamin Shoppe from the Franchise Group Inc. for an undisclosed price. The deal was completed this month. 'With the invaluable support of our partners at Kingswood and PIP — leaders in building brands and driving growth in omnichannel retail — we are primed for an exciting new era of expansion,' Leite said in a statement. 'I look forward to collaborating with the board, the management team, vendor partners and our dedicated 'health enthusiasts' as we build a world-class health and wellness platform that delivers an unparalleled experience to our customers.' The partners said they will be investing in a variety of brand-building strategies, including further supporting the health enthusiasts in running The Vitamin Shoppe stores, enhancing the company's digital marketing and e-commerce capabilities, innovating the private brand portfolio, and working with existing and emerging third-party brands 'to be the best distribution partner in the market.' During her first tour, Leite launched a new, more modern and easier to shop store format, accelerated the digital side of the business, expanded private label offerings, grew third-party brand partnerships and the Healthy Awards loyalty program, and initiated international expansion with Vietnam. She is succeeding Lee Wright as CEO. It's unusual for a CEO to leave a retailer and then come back years later, though the late Myron Ullman 3rd had two stints as CEO of JCPenney, and Howard Schultz had two stints as CEO at Starbucks. Also, Bob Iger is currently in his second tour of duty as CEO of Disney. With the acquisition just finalized Monday, The Vitamin Shoppe board has been reorganized with new members, including Leite as well as Alex Smith and Beth Kaplan and representatives from Kingswood and PIP. Smith is a Kingswood operating partner and the current executive chairman of World Market, which is part of the Kingswood portfolio. Previously, Smith was executive chairman and then chairman of The Vitamin Shoppe, CEO of Pier 1 Imports, and earlier, she held senior management positions at The TJX Companies. Kaplan was president and chief operating officer of Rent the Runway. Earlier, she served as president, chief merchandising and marketing officer, and director of General Nutrition Centers. Before that, she held leadership positions at Bath & Body Works, Rite Aid Drugstores and Procter & Gamble. The Secaucus, N.J.-based The Vitamin Shoppe sells nutritional solutions, including vitamins, minerals, sports nutrition, specialty supplements, herbs, homeopathic remedies, and green living products. Best of WWD Macy's Is Closing 66 Stores in 2025 — Here's the List, Live Updates Inside the Demise of Lord & Taylor COVID-19 Spikes Elevate Retail Concerns
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Parachute-like Linen Blend Dress Won Loro Piana's 2025 Knit Design Award
MILAN — A parachute-like frock stole the spotlight — and scooped the top prize — at the ninth edition of the Loro Piana Knit Design Award, which challenged applicants even more than in past editions. The LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned Italian luxury brand tasked participating students with reinterpreting the use of linen for the 'Winter Legacy' theme, the challenge of the job lying in the reinvention of the typical summer fiber for winter- or all-season-appropriate knitwear. More from WWD Bobbi Brown, Lauren Bush Lauren and More Honored at Einstein College of Medicine Spirit of Achievement Luncheon Cannes Palm Beach Casino Gets a Royal Makeover Loro Piana, Dimorestudio, OTW by Vans Top Drivers of $26.1 Million in EMV for Milan Design Week 'It's a material that is a symbol of our maison's endless quest for excellence, for transforming the finest yarns into the most beautiful product, the most beautiful pieces, but always, always with a touch. With the famous Loro Piana touch,' said the brand's chief executive officer Damien Bertrand on Wednesday morning here. As reported the executive is to officially pass the CEO baton to Frédéric Arnault on June 10 to become deputy CEO of Louis Vuitton. Arnault was also in attendance at the award ceremony. Last year Loro Piana introduced its finest linen yarn yet, a 110-Number-metric-thin thread that can be spun to up to 110 kilometers with only one kilogram. 'This exceptional yarn is the fruit, is the work of our very talented team who continuously research to achieve the most refined, the most beautiful fibers, to create the most beautiful blends that everybody is very happy to go to the Loro Piana stores [to buy],' Bertrand offered, with a chuckle. 'It is this innovative and creative spirit we really want to foster with the Knit Design Award,' he said, praising the Loro Piana HR team for jump-starting the initiative in 2016. Morgan Boyce and Simone Rizzato from Milan-based Accademia Costume e Moda scooped the award — redesigned as a gleaming golden yarn spool-like trophy — with their 'Parachute' soft-knit midi dress with a multilayered skirt crafted from a linen and cashmere blend. Highly conceptual in its inspiration, drawn from World War II's parachutes made from linen and oftentimes repurposed into clothing after wartime, the number exuded a crafty artisanal feel that won the jury over. The winners will receive a scholarship from Loro Piana, consisting of 5,000 euros per student, a contract to work for the company and the opportunity to develop their samples to turn them into viable garments with help from the house's knitwear team. The final products will be showcased at the upcoming edition of textile trade show Pitti Filati, to be held in Florence from July 1 to 3. They were short-listed from a panel of seven applicants hailing from international fashion and design schools such as the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology; École Duperré Paris; the FIT State University of New York; the Hong Kong Polytechnic; London's Royal College of Art, and the Swedish School of Textiles. For the past six months short-listed applicants have been able to visit Loro Piana factories, to discover production processes and stores to delve into the Italian luxury brand's heritage. 'Every year [the award] takes even more importance, and in the years to come it will be even more important,' Bertrand said to all students. 'Today we have a new generation of talents with true passion for knitwear. We are a textile company. We are a knitwear company, and we share the same passion… it's so inspiring to see young people like you putting innovation and technical skill at the heart of your approach. What you do every day in your school will serve you for your future… This idea of always pushing the limit is really what we do every day at Loro Piana,' the executive offered. 'You are the future. You are making the future of this category, and that is very important for us. And whether you win today or not, you have to leave with this in mind. You are contributing to the future of this by innovating, by breaking the limit,' he said. Bertrand presided over the jury panel, which included Pauline Dujancourt, founder and creative director of the namesake brand; fashion editor, stylist and creative consultant Anna Dello Russo; Satoshi Kuwata, founder and creative director of the Setchu brand, and curator and creative consultant Kimberly Drew, among others. A special mention recognized the project presented by Léa Delwarde and Loic Bonneau, students of the École Duperré Paris school. Best of WWD Salma Hayek's Fashion Evolution Through the Years: A Red Carpet Journey [PHOTOS] How Christian Dior Revolutionized Fashion With His New Look: A History and Timeline Cannes Film Festival's French Actresses Whose Iconic Style Shines on the Red Carpet [PHOTOS]
