Home Discount Retailer Names Kristen Cox SVP,
Chief Stores Officer and Seth Marks To Newly Created Role of SVP,
Extreme Value Sourcing
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 30,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG), one
of America's largest home discount retailers, today announced the
appointment of two new leaders to fill roles on its senior
leadership team. Experienced stores leader Kristen Cox is joining Big Lots as SVP, Chief
Stores Officer, and closeout merchandising leader Seth Marks is joining the company in the newly
formed role of SVP, Extreme Value Sourcing, focused on procuring
outstanding products at exceptional values through unique closeout
opportunities. Both Cox and Marks will begin in their roles on
Dec. 4, 2023.
"As we continue to make progress on the five key actions
supporting our multi-year strategic plan, which includes improving
store relevance and increasing our assortment of extreme bargains,
it was important to us to find leaders for these positions that
have extensive experience and proven track records in the world of
off-price retail," said Bruce Thorn,
President and CEO of Big Lots.
"Improvement in stores execution is critical to increasing store
relevance and overall performance," Thorn added. "With significant
experience running highly productive off-price stores, where
flexible branding and assortment at the store level is critical,
Kristen will help drive the continuing evolution of our store base
to better showcase our assortment, value offerings, and messaging.
We are excited to have her join us."
"To accelerate our progress toward owning bargains, we have
created a new role to help lead our growing team of
closeout buyers," Thorn added. "Seth is a highly seasoned
closeout merchant who will rejoin us after having spent time with
our company earlier in his career. Seth brings almost 30 years' of
experience in off-price and closeout sourcing and was with Big Lots
at a time when the company was the clear market leader in broadline
closeout retail. He returns to Big Lots with a wealth of strategic
sourcing experience, deep industry relationships, and a
merchandising background in extreme bargains."
"We're pleased to welcome both Kristen and Seth to our
leadership team and look forward to their many contributions in the
coming weeks and months."
Kristen Cox
Senior
Vice President, Chief Stores Officer
As Chief Stores Officer, Cox will be responsible for developing
and implementing operational strategies to drive sales, improve
margins, and enhance customer service across all stores. She fills
the role left vacant by the retirement of Nick Padovano earlier this year. Cox will report
directly to President and CEO Bruce
Thorn.
Cox is a senior retail executive with nearly three decades of
experience across various areas of store operations. She joins Big
Lots after spending the last six and half years at Burlington
Stores, where she served as SVP of Human Resources for all stores
and before that SVP of Northeast and Midwest stores. Before
Burlington, Cox was EVP of Stores
for Macy's Inc. North Central Region from 2013 to 2017, capping a
total of 14 years in key leadership positions with Macy's. Her
experiences included driving sales through leading regional store
teams, building customer service and selling strategies, developing
tools and processes to shape enterprise strategy and culture, and
improving operating efficiencies. Kristen began her career in
stores with Macy's in 1994.
"I've always felt a real connection to the Big Lots brand, which
began with frequent shopping trips with my mom growing up," said
Cox. "I'll never forget purchasing a dinnerware set, outdoor table,
and other items from Big Lots for my first college apartment. As it
did for me, Big Lots has made an impact on millions of customers
for decades through its commitment to a noble purpose: to help
people live big and save lots; and I'm very excited and deeply
honored to join the team."
Seth Marks
Senior
Vice President, Extreme Value Sourcing
In the newly created role of SVP, Extreme Value Sourcing, Marks
will lead an accelerated strategic deal sourcing initiative focused
on procuring outstanding products at exceptional values through
unique closeout opportunities, while providing higher recoveries to
sellers in need of timely inventory monetization. Marks will report
directly to President and CEO Bruce
Thorn.
Marks first served as Vice President, Merchandising at Big Lots
from 2004 to 2007, when Big Lots was the clear market leader in
broadline closeout retail, and is returning to the company with a
wealth of additional off-price retail experience, including
liquidation, closeout, and alternative sourcing relationships. He
rejoins Big Lots from Channel Control Merchants, where he most
recently served as the Chief Merchandising Officer. Prior to his
position at Channel Control, Marks served as the CEO of Hilco
Wholesale Solutions and Chief Merchant for Hilco Merchant
Resources, the world's largest liquidation firm. His previous
experience also includes serving as CEO of Liquidation World,
Senior Vice President of Merchandising & Strategic Initiatives
at Overstock.com and Head of Off Price at Sears Holdings.
"I am excited to rejoin Big Lots and build on its exceptional
history of creating off-price value for its customers," Marks said.
"Big Lots' broad product assortment and coast-to-coast retail
footprint will allow us to provide customized best-in-class
inventory recovery solutions to our selling partners and true
one-of-a-kind deals for customers that no other retailer can
provide."
ABOUT BIG LOTS
Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE: BIG) is
one of America's largest home discount retailers, operating more
than 1,420 stores in 48 states, as well as a best-in-class
ecommerce platform with expanded fulfillment and delivery
capabilities. The Company's mission is to help customers "Live Big
and Save Lots" by offering unique treasures and exceptional
bargains on everything for their home, including furniture,
seasonal decor, kitchenware, pet supplies, food items, laundry and
cleaning essentials and more. Big Lots is the recipient of Home
Textiles Today's 2021 Retail Titan Award. For more information
about the company or to find the store nearest you, visit
biglots.com.
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SOURCE Big Lots, Inc.