New York – Omni Retail Enterprises, operator of a portfolio of lifestyle digital storefronts, has hired a retail veteran to head product development and merchandising for Pier 1.
Cindy Kretzinger was most recently director of product development, design & sourcing at The Container Store. Prior to that, she held senior merchandising roles at Loloi Rugs and Kirkland’s.
She also has a long history with the legacy Pier 1 Imports retail chain, where she worked for almost 20 years, starting in marketing and building her career through its merchandising organization.
Sharon Leite, who joined Omni as CEO in June, told HTT: “We’re planning for Pier 1to be in multiple channels to meet the needs of our many loyal Pier 1 customers.”
She described Kretzinger as “the perfect choice to shape Pier 1’s revival,” and added: “Her deep understanding of the customer will be the cornerstone of the decisions we’ll make as we bring back products our customers love.”
Kretzinger said she is excited to help the company realize its omni-channel vision for Pier 1.
“I have a clear understanding of Pier 1’s heritage and loyal customer base. Leveraging both will be instrumental in reigniting the brand’s legacy, while deploying innovative merchandising strategies to redefine its product offerings for today’s consumer,” she said.
Omni Retail Enterprises is the parent company of Bodybuilding.com, Pier 1.com, DressBarn.com and Mentorbox.com. It also owns the intellectual property of SteinMart, Linens-N-Things, Modell’s Sporting Goods and Franklin Mint.