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Dive Brief:
Trish Donnelly, who had years-long stints at Urban Outfitters, Polo Ralph Lauren and J. Crew, is now leading Chico’s FAS as division CEO, according to LinkedIn posts Wednesday from holding company KnitWell Group and Donnelly herself.
Most recently, Donnelly was president of The Row, and also has had leadership roles at PVH, including CEO of Calvin Klein Global. She began her work at Chico’s — whose brands include its namesake and White House Black Market women’s apparel retailers and lingerie retailer Soma — this week.
Chico’s hasn’t had its own chief since Molly Langenstein’s departure in January 2024, shortly after its acquisition by private equity firm Sycamore Partners. In the newly created role, Donnelly oversees all product and customer-facing functions across brands and leads day-to-day operations of KnitWell Group’s campus.
Dive Insight:
In 2019 Sycamore Partners tried and failed numerous times to acquire Chico’s but succeeded four years later. The firm paid $1 billion in cash and swiftly moved it into its KnitWell holding company. That group also includes Ann Taylor, Loft and Talbots, which Sycamore already owned.
The retail conglomerate had been struggling for while, though it made progress during Langenstein’s four-year tenure. How Chico’s is doing now is less clear because, as a privately held company, it no longer needs to report on its performance.
KnitWell in its post called out Donnelly’s history leading multi-brand retail companies — she was CEO of PVH Americas for nearly two years, CEO of global at Urban Outfitters for five years and before that Urban’s North America president for over a year.
“Trish is an exceptional leader with a proven record of success and is widely respected for uniting teams around a shared vision and for delivering results,” KnitWell CEO Lizanne Kindler said on LinkedIn. “Her passion for retail and dedication to customers are truly unmatched.”
In her post, Donnelly said that “It’s a transformative time in retail,” and that she and the brands’ teams will be writing “the next chapter of growth for our brands.” It’s true that her experience could be transformative for Chico’s and its stable, but the company has no shortage of operational challenges, according to Liza Amlani, principal at Retail Strategy Group.
“Trish Donnelly’s appointment signals Chico’s ambition to elevate its brands and sharpen its customer strategy. Her track record at PVH, The Row, and J.Crew gives her the product, digital, and brand credibility the company has lacked,” Amlani said by email. “The challenge will be translating luxury and premium brand experience into a highly promotional, margin-sensitive environment where inventory discipline and speed-to-market are critical. If she can pair her brand vision with operational rigor, Chico’s has a real chance at reinvention. Otherwise, the appointment risks becoming more about optics than execution.”